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COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 


Colinette  of  Redmoon 


BY 


F.  RONEY  WEIR 

Author  of  "Merry  Andrew" 


BOSTON 

SMALL,  MAYNARD  &  COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


Copyright,  1921, 
Bx  SMALL,  MAYNARD  &  COMPANY 

(INCOBPORATED) 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 


2138741   ' 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 


For  hours  the  train  rumbled  steadily  through  a  series 
of  wonderful  pictures.  Not  of  rocks,  rivers  and  tower- 
ing mountains,  but  of  stretches  of  green  meadows  bor- 
dered by  woodlands;  of  spotted  cattle  standing  in  shallow 
brooks;  of  farmers  loading  hay,  or  of  farmers'  wives 
hanging  glistening  washings  to  dry  in  the  June-scented 
wind.  Here  a  tangle-legged  colt  cavorted  beside  its  quiet 
mother,  and  there  a  shepherd  dog  sprawled  on  a  back 
doorstep,  surrounded  by  her  clumsy  but  huggable  litter. 
There  were  many  young  and  happy  things  visible  from 
the  steadily  moving  train. 

There  were  young  things  aboard  the  train  also;  two 
girls  of  nearly  the  same  age,  and  that,  perhaps,  fourteen 
years. 

The  larger  of  the  two  was  tall  for  her  years  with  the 
consequent  ungainliness  of  overgrowth.  She  was,  evi- 
dently, used  to  travel,  and  very  much  bored  by  this  par- 
ticular journey.  Although  she  and  her  mother  had 
lunched  in  the  dining-car  before  it  was  detached  at  Mill- 
town,  she  bought  shelled  pecans,  oranges  and  candy  of 
the  train  boy  when  he  brought  them  through  the  car. 
She  lolled  against  her  mother,  made  frequent  visits  to  the 
water-cooler  with  her  own  little  silver  cup,  returning  with 


2  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

dripping  tribute  not  wanted  and  therefore  not  appreciated. 
Her  neck  was  long  and  pretty  and  her  pale  blue  eyes 
rather  prominent.     Her  mother  admonished  her  often. 

"  Do  sit  down  and  read  your  book,  Gertie.  No,  I 
don't  care  for  any  water.  Yes,  fifteen  minutes  after 
three.  I  think  so.  You  may  if  you  like,  but  be  careful. 
I  shouldn't  think  you'd  want  to  stand  out  there.  The 
dust  is  frightful." 

The  other  fourteen-year-old  was  a  smaller  and  quieter 
child.  Her  reddish  braids  were  wound  around  her  head 
and  nearly  concealed  by  an  ugly  little  mushroom-shaped 
hat  and  a  worn  black  ribbon  bow.  Not  one  in  the  car 
could  have  told  the  color  of  her  eyes,  she  kept  them 
turned  so  persistently  toward  the  window.  Once  the  con- 
ductor came  through  the  car  and  bent  above  her  with  a 
question.  She  replied  quietly  to  whatever  it  was  he  had 
asked,  returning  immediately  to  her  window. 

The  girl  traveling  with  her  mother  wished  she  knew 
what  the  conductor  had  said  to  the  "  red-haired  girl," 
and  if  the  girl  was  taking  the  trip  all  alone.  She  wished 
the  conductor  would  come  and  talk  to  her  and  her 
mother  —  anything  to  break  the  monotony  of  the  long 
car  ride.  There  were  very  few  passengers  in  the  car  — 
none  at  all  interesting  except  that  lonely-looking  little 
girl.  Presently  she  had  both  her  wishes  granted,  the 
conductor  did  come  to  her  seat. 

"  You  git  off  at  Redmoon,  I  think,  ma'am  ?  " 

"  Why,  yes,"  answered  Gertie's  mother  in  surprise. 

"  Well,  do  you  know  if  there  is  a  woman  living  in  your 
town  by  the  name  of  Susan  Gard?  " 

u  Yes,  Mrs,  Susan  Gard  lives  up  west  of  the  railroad. 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  3 

I  used  to  go  to  school  with  her  children,  John  and  Susan. 
But  John  Gard  left  town  a  long  while  ago  — " 

"  Yes ;  well,  he's  dead  and  that's  his  girl  over  there. 
She's  going  to  your  town  to  live  with  her  grandmother. 
Her  father's  been  dead  a  good  many  years  but  her  mother 
only  died  last  week.  I  thought  I'd  find  out  if  her  story 
was  straight  and  if  there  was  a  Susan  Gard  livin'  in  Red- 
moon." 

Two  feminine  heads  flopped  and  two  pairs  of  curious 
eyes  fastened  themselves  on  the  red-gold  braids  of  the 
girl  who  still  gazed  out  of  the  window. 

"  The  Susan  Gard  I  went  to  school  with  has  been  mar- 
ried twice.  She  was  left  a  widow  with  one  child  and  for 
her  second  husband  she  married  a  widower  with  two  — " 

"  Yes ;  well,  I'm  much  obliged.  I  just  wanted  to  find 
out  if  the  girl  was  givin'  me  straight  goods  about  her 
grandmother  and  all.  I  guess  she  is.  You  see,  she 
boarded  the  train  without  any  ticket  or  money  or  bag- 
gage. By  good  rights  I  should  have  put  her  off  at  Mill- 
town,  but  I've  got  one  of  my  own  about  her  age,  and  I'm 
easy,  and  so  I  brought  her  on  through." 

"  Mrs.  Dunlap's  Susan  is  in  my  room  at  school,"  volun- 
teered Gertie  with  an  important  twirk  of  her  neck. 
"  They  call  her  Susan  Dunlap,  but  her  real  name  is  Susan 
Taylor—" 

"  Yes,  well,  I  thought  I'd  ask  you.  I  knew  you  got 
off  at  Redmoon."  He  went  back  to  the  red-haired  girl, 
who  turned  a  distinctly  disinterested  glance  in  the  direc- 
tion of  Gertie  and  her  mother.  The  eyes  of  the  two 
girls  met.  Those  of  Gertie  conveyed  the  scorn  of  a  well- 
to-do  child  for  one  obliged  to  beat  her  way  on  a  train. 


4  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

The  eyes  of  the  other  expressed  an  absolute  lack  of  inter- 
est, as  if  the  conductor  had  said,  "  Yonder  are  two  steps 
in  the  road  to  your  grandmother's.  You  will  find  them 
useful  on  your  way." 

When  the  train  pulled  into  Redmoon  and  the  passen- 
gers alighted  the  girl  with  the  braids  did  not  ask  Gertie 
or  Gertie's  mother  to  direct  her  to  her  grandmother's. 
She  asked  the  station  master  who  came  with  her  to  the 
door  of  the  station  and  pointed  south  along  the  track 
over  which  she  had  just  traveled.  He  was  still  giving 
directions  when  Mr.  Calkins,  Gertie's  father,  the  leading 
merchant  of  Redmoon,  arrived  in  his  car  to  take  his  wife 
and  daughter  home. 

The  Gard  girl  walked  south  on  the  railroad  to  Brown 
Street,  where  she  turned  west,  as  the  station  master  had 
directed.  She  moved  with  a  gliding  step  which  got  her 
over  the  ground  rapidly.  The  man  at  the  station  had 
said  that  she  would  pass  a  deserted  old  hotel  which 
faced  on  a  cross  street,  and  after  that  she  would  be 
able  to  see  the  roof  of  her  grandmother's  house,  which 
stood  on  a  hill  a  block  further  on. 

The  sun  shone  with  a  level  glare  straight  into  her  eyes. 
It  was  nearly  six  o'clock,  and  men  were  hurrying  home 
from  work.  A  boy  with  a  baseball  bat  over  his  shoulder 
stared  at  her  sharply  as  he  turned  north  on  the  street 
which  ended  in  front  of  the  ruined  hotel. 

And  now  her  heart  did  skip  a  beat,  for  there,  on  the 
top  of  the  little  hill  of  which  the  station  master  had 
spoken  she  could  see  the  roof  of  her  grandmother's 
house,  little  and  low,  as  he  had  described  it,  with  a  row 
of  sweet  peas  at  the  edge  of  the  porch. 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  5 

The  perfume  of  the  peas  greeted  the  traveler  as  she 
paused  on  the  porch  to  peer  into  the  open  front  door. 
She  saw  a  room  with  a  rag  carpet  on  the  floor,  a  center- 
table,  a  carpet  lounge  in  one  corner,  and  a  whatnot  in 
another.  On  the  whatnot  were  photographs  framed  in 
celluloid.  One  of  these  pictured  faces  she  recognized 
and  a  queer  expression  came  into  her  eyes.  A  red  plush 
rocking-chair  bore  a  tidy  on  its  back ;  a  sprightly  sprigged 
paper  was  on  the  walls  and  coarse  Nottingham  lace  cur- 
tains at  the  windows ;  a  room  common  to  Redmoon  dwel- 
lers, but  novel  enough  to  the  child  standing  so  curiously 
on  its  threshold.  To  the  right  the  bedroom  door  stood 
open,  disclosing  a  bed  covered  by  a  calico  quilt  of  ornate 
design  and  "  shams  "  fastened  squarely  upright  over  the 
pillows.  She  could  see,  also,  a  washstand  with  towel 
racks  at  either  side,  and  on  it  a  white  washbowl  and 
pitcher  and  a  long  white  soapdish  with  a  white  acorn  on 
the  lid  for  a  handle. 

Now  that  her  eyes  had  taken  in  all  there  was  to  see, 
she  became  conscious  of  a  ravishing  smell  of  warmed-over 
potatoes  frying  in  butter  back  somewhere  in  the  house. 
It  brought  poignantly  to  mind  the  whiff  which  had  ac- 
companied "  Gertie  "  and  her  mother  on  their  return  from 
the  dining  car  five  hours  earlier.  She  delayed  no  longer 
but  stepped  back  upon  the  porch  and  sounded  a  sharp 
summons  on  the  door.  A  woman  appeared  immediately 
at  the  kitchen  door.  She  was  a  large,  strong-looking 
woman  of  fifty-odd  years,  with  dark  hair  untouched  with 
gray,  and  a  long,  homely  though  kindly  face.  She  was 
dressed  in  a  neat  black-and-white  calico,  and  carried  a 


6  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

buttery  knife  in  her  hand.  The  girl  with  the  red  braids 
stepped  into  the  parlor  and  her  lips  trembled. 

"  Are  you  —  my  grandmother?  "  she  almost  whispered. 

The  woman  with  the  buttery  knife  stared  in  a  dazed 
way,  her  mouth  dropping  open,  her  small  black  eyes 
popping  under  the  stress  of  some  powerful  emotion. 
And  during  that  voiceless  instant  the  child  before  her 
cowered  like  a  guilty  thing,  her  little  body  fairly  seem- 
ing to  shrivel  under  the  strain  of  the  suspense. 

Then  the  woman  cried  out,  "  For  mercy  sakes !  John's 
girl!  "  and  the  next  moment  the  buttery  knife  was  stick- 
ing straight  out  at  the  child's  back  as  the  child  sobbed 
in  the  woman's  arms. 

"  And  so  she  sent  you  after  all,"  said  Mrs.  Gard. 
"  She  thought  she  would,  and  then  she  didn't,  and  we 
wrote  and  she  didn't  answer,  and  we  supposed  she  had 
changed  her  mind  and  wasn't  goin'  to  send  you  at  all  and 
now  after  all  this  time  she  has  sent  you!  Well,  well! 
How  did  she  come  to  put  off  sending  you  for  so  long?  " 

"  She  is  dead,"  replied  the  child. 

"  You  don't  mean  it!  "  cried  Mrs.  Gard,  grasping  the 
thin  arms  of  the  little  girl  again  and  giving  her  an  excited 
shake.  "  You  don't  mean  to  say  that  your  ma  is  —  why, 
when  did  she — ?  " 

"  Last  week."  The  girl  was  calm  now  when  her 
grandmother  expected  tears  and  lamentations. 

"You  poor  little  thing!"  She  was  fairly  devouring 
the  child  with  her  eyes  and  although  she  would  have  re- 
sented the  inference  even  from  her  own  mind,  she  was 
experiencing  a  great  gladness  at  the  child's  news. 

"  Well,  now  let's  not  say  any  more  about  it  until  after 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  7 

supper,"  she  advised.  "  You're  here  —  home,  with  your 
own  gram'ma,  and  you're  goin'  to  stay  right  here  home 
always.  Now  come  out  and  wash  your  hands  and  face 
an'  set  right  up.  I  —  mercy  sakes,  I  hope  the  potatoes 
ain't  burned  to  a  crisp!  Well,  they're  pretty  brown,  but 
I  guess  they  ain't  spoiled." 

"  Please,  where  did  you  say  I  shall  find  the  bathroom, 
grandmother  ?  " 

"  Bless  you,  I  ain't  got  no  bathroom.  You  just  slip 
off  your  hat  and  wash  right  here  in  the  kitchen  where 
your  pa  used  to  wash  when  he  was  a  boy  —  my,  my ! 
Poor  John !  And  to  think  that  you  are  John's  baby  girl ! 
What's  your  name,  dear?  " 

"  Didn't  my  mother  tell  you  my  name  when  she  wrote 
you  the  letter?  " 

"  No,  she  didn't,"  owned  Mrs.  Gard.  "  She  said  that 
you  was  —  a  —  well,  a  sickly  little  thing,  and  that  she 
didn't  see  how  she  was  goin'  to  provide  for  you  because 
she  wasn't  well  herself,  but  she  never  mentioned  your 
name.     I  sort  of  surmised  it  was  Susan." 

"Why?"  asked  the  child,  carefully  drying  her  hands 
on  the  roller  towel. 

"  Well,  all  our  folks  name  their  baby  girls  Susan 
mostly.  My  name  is  Susan,  and  your  aunt's  name  is 
Susan,  and  your  cousin's  name  is  Susan  —  three  of 
us." 

"  Then  it's  lucky  they  didn't  name  me  Susan  because 
three  Susans  in  the  same  family  are  enough;  don't  you 
think  so,  grandmother  ?  " 

How  sweetly  she  spoke  that  word,  "  grandmother  " ; 
Mrs.  Gard  felt  a  strange  thrill  at  her  heart  as  if  an  angel 


8  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

child  had  come  to  claim  relationship  with  her.  She  liked 
the  way  that  little  thing  said  "  grandmother."  She  had 
been  "  gram'ma  "  always  to  her  other  grandchildren. 

"  Well,  maybe  so,"  she  admitted,  although  she  had 
never  thought  of  it  in  that  way. 

"  My  name,"  said  the  girl  slowly,  "  is  Colinette." 

"  Colinette !  "  repeated  Mrs.  Gard,  "  well,  mercy  sakes, 
what  a  funny  name!     Any  idea  who  it's  after?  " 

"  I  don't  think  it's  after  anybody;  I  just  suppose  they 
saw  it  in  a  newspaper  and  —  sort  of  liked  it." 

"  That's  a  queer  way  to  name  a  child.  I  don't  believe 
your  pa  named  you;  he'd  never  have  picked  out  a  name 
like  that.     Do  you  like  it?  " 

"  Yes,  I  like  it,"  owned  Colinette.  "  What  do  you 
think  my  father  would  have  named  me,  grandmother?" 

"  Why,  I  s'pose  he'd  'a'  called  you  Susan  after  his  ma 
and  sister,  or  else  Mary  —  that  was  your  ma's  name, 
wasn't  it?  He  always  spoke  of  her  in  his  letters  as 
'  Mayme,'  which,  I  s'pose,  is  short  for  Mary." 

"If  you  would  rather,  I  suppose  I  could  be  called 
Susan  —  Susan  the  Fourth,  as  the  kings  are,  you  know," 
suggested  Colinette. 

"  Bless  you,  child,  that  wouldn't  do  at  all.  If  your 
parents  named  you  Colinette  and  called  you  Colinette, 
why  it's  nobody  else's  business  to  change  it,  and  espe- 
cially if  you  like  it.  It  don't  make  a  mite  of  difference 
what  a  little  girl's  name  is  anyhow;  it's  how  a  little  girl 
behaves  herself,  whether  she's  good  or  bad  —  that's  what 
counts." 

Colinette  was  still  polishing  her  hands  carefully  with 
the  coarse  towel.     She  kept  her  eyes  lowered  and  seemed 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  9 

to  be  turning  over  her  grandmother's  last  statement  in 
her  mind  very  seriously. 

Mrs.  Gard  put  another  blue  plate  on  the  table  opposite 
her  own,  and  later  sat  in  mild  astonishment  to  see  her 
"  sickly  "  'grandchild  eat.  The  eggs,  bread  and  butter, 
fried  potatoes,  and  apple  jelly  disappeared  like  magic, 
followed  by  a  generous  slab  of  gingercake  and  two  glasses 
of  milk.  Mrs.  Gard  was  impressed  by  her  grandchild's 
table  manners.  She  herself  ate  with  her  knife,  dipped 
her  bread  into  her  tea  and  buttered  it  afterwards.  If 
Colinette  had  stood  up  and  reached  across  the  table  for 
something  she  should  have  admonished  her  mildly,  as  it 
is  the  duty  of  older  persons  to  admonish  the  young.  She 
would  have  said,  "  Child  alive,  don't  do  that  way.  Don't 
be  so  horsey!  "  But  Colinette  did  nothing  of  the  kind, 
and  Mrs.  Gard  even  found  herself  a  little  in  awe  of 
John's  girl  before  the  meal  was  finished. 

"  If  I'd  'a'  dreamed  you  was  comin'  I'd  'a'  had  some- 
thing real  good  for  supper,"  she  apologized. 

"  Don't  you  like  me  very  well,  grandmother  ?  '' 

•  Like  you!     What  do  you  mean?  " 

"If  you  had  had  any  better  supper  than  this  I  should 
have  eaten  myself  to  death.  You  see,  I  was  very  hungry. 
I  didn't  have  anything  to  eat  on  the  train,  and  traveling 
makes  one  so  hungry." 

"You  poor  little  thing!  And  half  sick,  too!"  ex- 
claimed Mrs.  Gard. 

"  No,  I  wasn't  sick ;  I  felt  perfectly  well.  And  oh, 
such  lovely  things  as  I  saw  all  along  the  way!  Little 
green  places  with  lakes  in  them  —  all  brown  around  the 
edges  and  sky  blue  in  the  middle.     And  once  a  whole 


io  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

hedge  of  green-growing  stuff  with  a  splash  of  scarlet 
flowers  against  it  just  as  if  a  painter  had  dabbled  a  brush 
and  —  done  this  way."  She  illustrated  with  a  wild  sweep 
of  her  arm.  "  And  then  — "  She  paused  and  leaned 
her  head  against  the  back  of  her  chair.  She  yawned 
guardedly  behind  her  hand,  then  roused  herself  to  new 
effort.  "  And  then,  in  another  place,  there  were  three  — 
three  — "  her  voice  trailed  off  into  silence. 

Mrs.  Gard  glanced  at  her  in  alarm.  Her  head  had 
fallen  to  one  side,  her  eyes  were  closed. 

"  Mercy  sake !  "  breathed  Mrs.  Gard,  "  she's  goin'  into 
a  spell!  They  wrote  that  she  was  rickety,  and  I  s'pose 
this  is  the  way  it  takes  'em." 

She  shook  Colinette  gently  and  Colinette  opened 
startled  eyes  —  beautiful  eyes  of  an  indescribable  color, 
dark,  and  shadowed  by  long  lashes. 

"  Oh,  please  excuse  me,"  she  begged,  "  but  I  couldn't 
help  it.  I  won't  again.  Don't  punish  me,  I  —  why,  it  is 
you,  isn't  it,  grandmother !     I  had  forgotten  — •" 

"  Of  course,  you  couldn't  help  it,  dear.  You're  just 
beat  out.  Now  come,  where's  your  satchel?  Did  you 
leave  it  on  the  porch?  We'll  just  git  you  into  your 
nightie  and  into  bed  as  soon  as  ever  we  can.  I  wanted 
you  to  tell  me  all  about  —  well,  everything,  but  you're 
too  sick  to  talk  tonight.  Tomorrow  will  be  time  enough. 
Where  did  you  put  your  bundle  or  satchel,  or  whatever 
you  brought  your  things  in  ?  " 

Colinette  looked  up  at  her  grandmother  with  a  drowsy 
smile. 

"  I  left  it  on  the  train,  I'm  afraid." 

"  On  the  train !     Now  that's  too  bad.     What  did  you 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  n 

have  in  it;  anything  that  you  cared  much  about  besides 
your  clothes?  Your  mother's  picture,  or  something  like 
that?" 

"  Oh,  yes,"  Colinette  admitted,  "  I  did  have  my 
mother's  picture." 

"Well,  maybe  that  will  help  us  to  git  it  back.  I'll 
help  you  to  bed  and  then  I'll  run  over  and  see  what  your 
Uncle  Luther  Dunlap  can  do  about  it.  He  may  be  able 
to  see  somebody  at  the  depot  — " 

Colinette  was  not  listening;  she  was  breathing  regu- 
larly. 

"  The  sooner  I  git  that  youngone  into  bed  the  better," 
decided  Mrs.  Gard.  She  brought  her  own  best  night- 
gown and  opened  the  front  room  bed,  the  one  which  had 
looked  so  inviting  to  Colinette  at  her  first  peep  into  her 
grandmother's  home.  A  few  minutes  later  Colinette  lay 
sleeping  soundly  although  the  west  was  still  golden. 

Mrs.  Gard  opened  the  window  and  a  rush  of  sweetpea 
fragrance  filled  the  room.  She  gazed  down  at  the  sleeper 
in  a  sort  of  bewildered  ecstasy.  A  rush  of  love  swept 
her  soul.  John's  little  girl!  John's!  She  had  loved 
him  fondly  and  mourned  him  fiercely  although  more  or 
less  alone  and  in  secret.  For  John  had  been  something 
of  a  reproach  to  the  family,  not  having  stayed  and  made 
a  place  for  himself  in  the  community  where  he  had 
been  born.  Instead  he  had  wandered  off  and  had  al- 
lowed long  months  to  elapse  between  letters  home,  months 
during  which  his  mother  had  been  obliged  to  own  to 
inquiring  friends  and  relatives  that  she  didn't  know 
whether  John  was  in  Texas  or  Idaho;  whether  he  was 
working  at  his  trade  or  "  running  on  the  railroad."     And 


12  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

then,  to  cap  his  misdemeanors,  he  had  married  a  woman 
of  an  alien  faith.  He  had  promised  to  bring  his  wife 
home  to  get  acquainted  with  home  folks,  but  had  not 
done  so  and  his  mother's  unspoken  belief  was  that  John's 
wife  was  not  a  person  to  be  proud  of.  Of  that,  how- 
ever, she  had  no  proof  and  was  glad  that  she  had  none. 
When  the  baby  was  born  he  had  written  one  short  letter 
to  say  that  the  mother  was  doing  nicely,  but  that  the 
child  was  puny  and  they  feared  they  were  not  going  to 
be  able  to  keep  her.  A  long  silence  followed,  broken 
by  a  letter  from  the  wife  formally  announcing  John's 
death  and  her  own  hurried  departure  to  the  home  of  her 
people.  This  letter,  giving  no  address  and  but  few  par- 
ticulars, seemed  to  shut  a  door  violently  between  Susan 
Gard  and  her  son's  family;  to  intimate  that  the  writer 
wished  no  further  communication  with  the  Gards. 

And  there  had  been  her  daughter  Susan's  troubles  to 
fill  Mrs.  Gard's  mind;  the  coming  of  the  baby  Susan,  the 
death  of  John  Taylor,  the  first  husband,  and  Susan's 
rather  hasty  marriage  to  Luther  Dunlap  and  the  conse- 
quent cares  and  anxieties  of  Susan's  stepmothering 
Luther's  two  boys  and  Luther's  step  fathering  of  little 
Susan.  For  whatever  might  be  said  of  Luther  Dunlap 
as  a  father,  he  was  not  an  unmitigated  success  as  hus- 
band, stepfather  and  son-in-law.  Both  Susan  Gard  and 
Susan  Dunlap  had  realized  long  ago  that  Mr.  Dunlap's 
motive  in  marrying  the  Widow  Taylor  had  no  romantic 
incentive,  but  had  come  about  in  order  to  provide  the 
Dunlap  family  with  well-cooked  food,  comfortable  quar- 
ters in  which  to  live,  and  a  competent,  cheap,  and  patient 
nurse  in  case  of  illness.     Mr.  Dunlap  and  his  boys  had 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  13 

kept  Susan  the  first  and  Susan  the  second  pretty  busy 
during  the  years  of  silence  following  the  letter  which 
told  of  John  Gard's  death,  while  little  Susan  the  third 
had  found  her  only  comfort  and  relaxation  under  her 
Grandmother  Gard's  lowly  roof.  After  a  number  of 
years  another  letter  had  arrived  from  Mrs.  John  Gard 
stating  that  she  and  her  immediate  family  felt  that  it 
was  high  time  that  "  John's  folks  should  wake  up  " —  so 
the  letter  was  worded  —  and  do  something  for  John's 
sickly  child.  The  child  wasn't  "  right "  the  letter  stated. 
She  was  "  rickety  "  and  the  mother  must  have  help  in 
caring  for  her.  It  would  be  the  graceful  thing,  the  letter 
hinted,  for  John's  mother  or  sister  to  take  the  child  and 
care  for  her  as  long  as  she  lived,  thus  leaving  the  child's 
mother  free  to  make  her  own  living. 

Against  the  freely  proffered  advice  of  her  son-in-law 
and  his  sister's  family,  the  Pickenses,  Susan  Gard  had 
sent,  not  only  for  the  little  girl  but  for  the  mother  also 
to  come  to  her  —  had  given  minute  directions  how  the 
mother  and  child  were  to  travel  to  Redmoon,  and  how 
they  were  to  find  her  house  on  their  arrival.  She  had 
made  homely  and  happy  preparations  for  receiving  them, 
but  they  had  not  come  nor  written,  and  Susan  was  led 
to  believe  that  John's  wife  had  never  intended  to  come, 
but  had  written  in  a  sort  of  spite  to  put  her  to  unneces- 
sary trouble,  or  out  of  curiosity  to  see  if  the  Gards  had 
any  feeling  for  her  or  for  her  child. 

At  intervals  Susan  had  written  futile  letters,  then  put 
the  matter  out  of  her  mind  so  far  as  possible. 

"  And  now  this  is  the  answer,"  she  said  aloud,  looking 
down  at  the  bright  braids  on  the  pillow  and  the  face  of 


i4  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

the  sleeping  child.  Rickety !  What  a  pity !  A  girl  had 
hard  enough  time  getting  through  the  world  without  hav- 
ing to  carry  a  load  of  rickets  or  fits  or  anything  of  that 
kind.  Poor  little  thing !  "  And  Dunlap  and  the  boys 
ain't  going  to  make  things  any  easier  for  her  nuther. 
The  boys  make  life  a  burden  to  young  Susan,  what'll 
they  do  to  this  one?  I  must  stand  by  her  as  well  as  I 
can  without  kickin'  up  a  rumpus  with  Susan's  family  — 
of  course,  I  coudn't  do  that.  And  there  I  was  feeling 
hard  at  this  child's  poor  mother  for  not  answering  my 
letters  —  and  she  so  sick  she  just  couldn't,  and  now  she's 
dead  and  has  sent  her  little  girl  as  her  answer.  Poor 
thing!     Poor  thing!    Well,  I  must  stand  steady." 


II 

Susan  Gard  carried  the  lamp  into  the  parlor  and  stood 
before  the  celluloid-framed  photographs. 

"  Not  a  bit  like  him ;  not  a  bit,"  she  murmured.  "  It 
would  have  been  nice  if  she  had  had  his  eyes,  or  —  any- 
way —  his  ears,  but  she  ain't  got  a  look  like  him."  A 
disinterested  person,  gazing  over  Susan's  shoulder  at 
her  son's  photograph,  might  not  have  agreed  with  her  as 
to  the  desirability  of  inheriting  John's  ears.  "  She  must 
be  all  mother,"  Susan  decided,  and  turned  to  the  other 
photograph,  a  small,  poorly-finished  picture  of  John's 
bride,  the  only  one  John  had  ever  sent  to  her.  She 
sighed  again.  "  Poor  thing!  And  me  blaming  her,  and 
she  struggling  to  take  care  of  John's  sickly  child,  and 
sinking  down  under  the  burden.  Well,  the  only  way  I 
can  make  it  up  to  her  now  is  to  do  the  best  I  can  for  her 
little  girl.     May  the  Lord  help  me !  " 

She  left  the  lighted  lamp  on  the  parlor  table  and  went 
across  the  street  to  break  the  news  to  her  daughter's 
family.  Before  she  reached  the  door  she  heard  Dun- 
lap's  stentorian  voice  commanding  someone  to  "  Open 
wider!  Wider!"  She  found  Luther,  swab  in  hand,  ad- 
ministering treatment  to  his  youngest  son,  Elmer,  his 
wife  solicitously  hovering  over  the  two,  holding  the  cup 
containing  the  solution.     Young  Susan  was  carrying  the 

15 


16  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

supper  things  into  the  kitchen.  She  beamed  on  her 
grandmother  as  the  latter  appeared  in  the  doorway. 

"  Whatever  is  the  matter  here  ?  "  demanded  Mrs.  Gard. 

The  family  answered  in  concert,  "  Mumps." 

"  Oh  dear !  "  lamented  Mrs.  Gard.  "  Can  mumps  be 
carried?  " 

Elmer  pushed  away  his  father's  swabbing  ringers,  his 
face  showing  alarm. 

"  Can't  they,  pa  ?     Can't  they  ?  " 

"  Wha'd'yeh  mean  ?  What  you  talkin'  about  ?  Open 
up  your  mouth,  now !  " 

"  Can't  the  mumps  be  carried?  I've  got  'em,  ain't  I? 
And  if  I've  got  'em  I've  got  to  carry  'em,  ain't  I?  " 

Mrs.  Gard  explained.  "  I  was  afraid  I  might  carry 
'em  to  the  little  girl  over  to  my  house."  She  spoke  to 
her  daughter,  knowing  that  she  would  find  sympathy,  at 
least,  if  not  help  in  that  direction.  "  John's  little  girl 
has  come." 

"  John's  girl !  "  exclaimed  the  entire  Dunlap  family  in 
unison. 

"  When  did  she  come  ?  "  demanded  Dunlap. 

"  Tonight.  She's  over  in  my  best  bed  asleep.  I  must 
go  right  back.  She  might  wake  up  and  feel  afraid  — 
finding  herself  alone  in  a  strange  place." 

"  John's  girl !  "  repeated  Susan  Dunlap,  "  Well,  well !  " 

"  Humph !  "  grunted  Dunlap.  "  What  you  goin'  to 
do  with  her?  ' 

"  Do  with  her?  Take  care  of  her,  of  course.  Her 
mother  is  dead  — " 

Everybody  exclaimed  again,  and  young  Susan  came 
and  stood  in  the  kitchen  door  with  the  meat  platter  in 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  17 

her  hand  to  hear  the  news.  She  was  large  for  her  age 
and  too  plump,  with  flaming  red  cheeks  and  black  hair 
and  eyes. 

"  Go  'long  with  that  platter ! "  commanded  her  step- 
father. 

"  Why,  Susan,  you  might  break  it,"  chided  her  mother, 
in  her  usual  weak  echo  of  her  husband's  authority. 

"  Now  open  your  mouth,  Elmer !  "  Mr.  Dunlap  be- 
gan to  swab  where  he  had  left  off.  "  Hold  that  cup  up 
somewhere  near  so  I  can  git  at  it,"  he  admonished  his 
wife,  who  started  nervously  and  held  the  cup  too  near. 
She  was  a  thin,  sallow  woman,  with  a  high,  bulging  fore- 
head, from  which  she  rolled  her  hair  backward  and  up- 
ward in  an  unbecoming  bolster.  There  were  gray  threads 
showing  in  the  bolster,  and  hollows  under  her  cheek 
bones  as  from  lack  of  teeth.  Her  small  dark  eyes  shone 
through  large-lensed  spectacles.  A  stranger  might  well 
have  taken  her  for  Susan  Gard's  sister  rather  than  for 
her  daughter. 

"  Let's  see-e ;  didn't  the  letter  say  the  youngone  was 
rickety?  "  Dunlap  held  his  swab  poised  while  he  glared 
at  his  mother-in-law,  his  son's  mouth  meanwhile  resem- 
bling that  of  a  yearning  young  robin. 

"  Yes,  it  did,"  admitted  Susan  Gard  anxiously.  "  Do 
you  know  anything  about  how  the  rickets  affects  a  per- 
son?" 

"  I  do."  Luther  Dunlap  never  admitted  ignorance  in 
any  matter,  whether  medical,  theological  or  scientific. 
"  I  know  all  about  the  rickets.  Person  with  'em  eats 
everything  that's  set  before  'em — " 

"  Yeah,  she's  got  'em  all  right,"  sighed  Mrs.  Gard. 


18  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

"  But  never  grows,  has  fits  and  faintin'  spells. * 

"Poor  little  thing!"  mourned  his  wife,  while  Mrs. 
Gard's  face  puckered  with  sympathetic  distress. 

"  Open  your  mouth  now,  Elmer,  or  I'll  slap  you ! 
Never  grow,  never  know  nothing"  he  went  on,  "  and 
after  awhile  git  kinder  doty  an'  just  set.  You  see, 
Mother  Gard,  you  can't  do  for  a  youngone  like  that. 
Best  thing  is  to  pack  her  right  off  to  the  county  house. 
You  can  make  affidavit  that  you  ain't  able  to  take  care 
of  her  and  they'll  be  obleeged  to  take  her." 

"  I  think  I  heard  somewhere  that  their  bones  git  soft 
—  didn't  we  hear  that  somewhere,  Luther?"  asked  Mrs. 
Dunlap  timidly,  "  and  as  they  grow  up  they  gii  crooked? 
Isn't  that  what  someone  told  us,  Luther?  " 

Luther  did  not  take  the  trouble  to  answer.  He  was 
about  to  finish  with  his  medical  ministrations.  Elmer, 
swabbed  and  swathed,  sat  in  a  tousled  huddle. 

"  That's  the  only  thing  for  you  to  do,"  he  wound  up, 
handing  over  to  his  wife  the  cup  and  swab  and  brushing 
off  his  ringers  much  as  he  was  advising  his  mother-in- 
law  to  hand  John's  girl  over  to  be  looked  after  by  the 
county. 

"  Poor  little  thing !  "  murmured  Mrs.  Dunlap.  "  And 
poor  John!     And  so  his  wife  is  dead,  too.     Well,  well!  " 

"  How  old  is  the  youngone?  "  asked  Dunlap. 

"  I  don't  know  exactly,"  owned  Mrs.  Gard,  "  but  of 
course  we  know  by  the  letter  that  she  is  a  little  younger 
than  your  Susan.  She  seems  a  good  deal  younger ;  she's 
so  small  —  not  much  more'n  half  as  big  as  Susan." 

"  Poor  sick  little  thing!  "  sighed  Mrs.  Dunlap  again. 

"  Yes,  there  it  is,  you  see.     They  never  grow  —  them 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  19 

rickety  youngones  —  well,  you'll  have  to  git  rid  of  her." 

"Oh,  no;  I  shall  keep  her." 

"  Why,  you  can't  keep  her,  Mother  Gard.  Have  a 
little  sense.  She'd  never  be  anything  but  a  drag  on 
you." 

"  I  don't  suppose  she  will,  but  I'm  goin'  to  keep  her 
just  the  same.     I'm  a  goin'  to  stand  by  her." 

"  Now,  see  here,  Mother  Gard,  you  ain't  a  goin'  to  do 
anything  of  the  kind.  If  you  ain't  got  any  common 
sense  to  use  why  somebody  else  has  got  to  use  some  for 
you.  I'll  take  that  youngone  tomorrow  and  hustle  her 
right  down  to  Jacksonville  to  the  county  house  where  she 
belongs  — " 

"  No,  Luther,  I'm  a  goin'  to  keep  John's  little  girl,  I 
don't  care  what  anybody  says — " 

The  outer  door  swung  open  to  admit  the  Pickenses. 
Susan  Gard  at  that  moment  would  rather  have  seen  al- 
most any  other  person  in  the  world  than  "  Rinthy  Pick- 
ens." Rinthy  was  one  of  the  nice  women  whom  nobody 
wants  to  see  when  in  sickness  or  in  trouble.  She  was 
embarrassingly  capable.  She  had  a  large  waist,  a  small 
nose  and  an  exasperating  smile;  a  smile  which  intimated 
to  the  feminine  beholder  that  she,  Amarinthy  Pickens, 
had  her  preserving  and  house-cleaning  and  fall  sewing 
all  done,  and  done  to  perfection,  and  that  if  others  were 
remiss  in  these  matters  it  was  due  to  their  own  inade- 
quacy —  or  worse. 

Mrs.  Pickens  was  quite  a  leader  in  "  above-the-rail- 
road  "  circles.  As  to  those  who  dwelt  in  the  more  aris- 
tocratic part  of  the  town  below  the  railroad,  she  ignored 
them  altogether.     She  believed,  and  expressed  her  be- 


20  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

lief  freely,  that  her  house  was  the  nearest  to  perfection 
of  any  in  Redmoon,  being  just  what  a  house  should  be, 
inside  and  out;  that  Waldo  Pickens  was  the  keenest 
business  man  in  either  town  or  country;  that  her  daugh- 
ter, Helen,  was  not  only  the  brightest  intellectual}',  but 
the  best-looking  of  all  the  children  who  went  to  the  Red- 
moon  school.  Feeling  as  she  did,  Amarinthy  Pickens 
was  an  extremely  contented  but  unpopular  woman.  She 
lacked  the  faculty  of  imparting  content  and  self-satisfac- 
tion to  those  with  whom  she  came  in  contact.  A  body 
felt  an  uneasy  sensation  as  soon  as  she  came  into  the 
room.  If  that  body  happened  to  be  a  woman,  she  went 
over  her  own  costume  mentally,  hoping  her  shoes  were 
properly  blacked  and  tied,  her  back  hair  in  order,  her 
bag  and  umbrella  just  as  they  should  be. 

Rinthy  Pickens  approved  of  the  Dunlaps  because  they 
were  related  to  her,  but  she  was  always  severe  and  sar- 
castic toward  Susan  Gard.  She  poked  fun  openly  at 
Susan  Gard's  whatnot,  celluloid-framed  pictures,  rag 
carpets,  and  even  the  hedge  of  sweet  peas  "  right  spang 
up  against  the  front  porch ! " 

She  came  sailing  into  her  brother's  house  clothed  — 
armored  would  be  a  better  word  —  in  her  usual  assur- 
ance, and  accompanied  by  the  keenest  business  man  and 
the  handsomest  daughter  in  the  country.  The  three 
Susans  quailed,  as  they  always  quailed,  before  Aunt 
Rinthy  Pickens'  absolute  proficiency.  Each  Susan 
quailed  in  her  own  way  and  for  her  own  reasons.  Susan 
Gard,  because  she  felt  sure  that  Rinthy  Pickens  and 
Rinthy's  husband,  Waldo  Pickens,  would  side  with 
Rinthy's  brother  Luther  against  her  keeping  John's  girl 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  21 

—  and  she  was  aware  of  the  strong  influence  Rinthy's 
opinion  had  upon  Luther's  decisions  —  Susan  the  mother 
quailed  because  of  the  untidiness  of  the  room;  and  Susan 
the  daughter  through  fear  of  Aunt  Rinthy's  decision  in 
favor  of  sending  the  rickety  little  cousin  away  before 
giving  a  body  a  chance  even  to  see  her. 

The  Pickenses  heard  the  news  of  Elmer's  attack  of  the 
mumps,  and  of  the  coming  of  John  Gard's  girl  almost 
before  they  were  settled  in  the  chairs  which  young  Susan 
had  brought  from  the  parlor.  Elmer  was  distinctly  irri- 
tated by  the  lightness  with  which  his  affliction  was  passed 
over  in  the  face  of  the  more  exciting  event.  There  was 
nothing  unusual  in  Elmer's  having  something;  if  not  the 
mumps  or  the  whooping-cough,  then  a  cut  finger  or  a 
smashed  toe. 

"  John's  girl !  For  goodness'  sakes !  And  rickety, 
you  say?"  Mrs.  Pickens'  smile  was  one  of  complete 
gratification. 

Luther  Dunlap  stated  his  attitude  toward  "  Mother 
Gard  tryin'  to  do  for  that  kind  of  a  youngone." 

"  We're  afraid  it's  going  to  be  too  much  for  mother," 
ventured  Susan  Dunlap  from  where  she  sat  gingerly  on 
the  edge  of  a  kitchen  chair,  her  knotty,  work-distorted 
hands  clasped  tightly  in  her  lap.  She  could  distinctly 
see  a  layer  of  dust  on  the  rungs  of  her  parlor  chair  in 
which  Wado  Pickens  sat  enthroned.  She  hoped  Rinthy 
could  not  see  it  from  where  she  sat.  "  Do  you  think 
it  will  be  an  awful  care,  Rinthy?  " 

"  Well,  don't  ask  me,"  said  Rinthy.  "  Never  having 
had  a  rickety  child,  I  can't  tell  you  anything  about  it. 
My  youngone,  thank  goodness,  was  perfectly  healthy  and 


22  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

always  has  been.  What  does  she  look  like,  Gram'ma 
Gard?  Don't  know  as  I  ever  saw  a  rickety  person. 
Mother  dead,  eh?  She  was  a  Catholic,  wa'n't  she?  I 
thought  I  heard  that  John  married  a  Catholic.  Well,  of 
course,  you  must  do  as  you  see  fit  about  keepin'  her,  but 
I  should  say  that  Luther's  right  about  sending  her  away." 

"Why,  of  course!"  acquiesced  Waldo  Pickens,  "you 
ain't  in  any  condition  to  keep  a  sick  child;  you're  an  old 
woman  —  one  foot  in  the  grave.  You'll  be  passin'  in 
your  checks  before  long  an'  then  where'll  she  be?  Of 
course,  if  you  feel  to  leave  her  suthin'  in  your  will — " 
Waldo  Pickens'  specialty  was  reminding  people  of  the 
shortness  of  life.  Mrs.  Gard  had  known  before  ever  he 
had  opened  his  mouth  just  what  he  would  say. 

"  How  old  is  she?  "  inquired  Mrs.  Pickens. 

"  Just  a  little  younger  than  Susan." 

"  About  Helen's  age,  then.  Helen  was  fourteen  her 
last  birthday." 

"When  is  her  birthday?"  asked  Helen. 

"  I  don't  know  the  date,"  said  Mrs.  Gard  reluctantly. 
"  I  didn't  talk  with  her  very  much.  She  went  right  to 
bed  as  soon  as  she  got  through  supper." 

"  Well,  didn't  she  have  any  papers,  or  a  Bible,  or  some- 
thing in  her  grip?  " 

"  She  lost  her  grip  on  the  train." 

"  Well,  that  was  a  pretty  piece  of  business,  sendin'  a 
halfwit  like  that  off  on  a  train  alone,"  declared  Waldo 
Pickens  with  a  snort.  Susan  Gard  resented  the  appella- 
tion, but  remonstrated  only  feebly,  saying  that  "  The  child 
didn't  look  nor  act  like  a  halfwit  by  any  manner  o'  means, 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  23 

although  she  did  seem  sick,  and  she  was  little  for  her 
age. 

Luther  Dunlap,  as  well  as  his  son,  was  out  of  patience 
at  the  large  amount  of  conversation  evoked  by  the  com- 
ing of  John's  girl  and  the  small  amount  by  Elmer's  case 
of  mumps.  Elmer  was  thirsty  and  Susan  was  sent  to 
the  kitchen  for  water;  his  knees  were  cold ;  his  stepmother 
brought  a  blanket  and  spread  it  over  his  lap.  He  was 
savage  at  his  Aunt  Rinthy's  description  of  Helen's 
patience  under  a  similar  affliction.  There  was  no  love 
lost  between  Elmer  and  his  Aunt  Rinthy  even  in  hours 
of  health. 

"  I  must  run  home,"  said  Susan  Gard.  "  If  she  should 
wake  up  all  alone  in  the  house  she'd  be  scared  into  fi  — 
she'd  be  scared  to  find  herself  all  alone." 

Mrs.  Pickens  got  up.  "  I'll  step  over  with  Gram'ma 
Gard,  Waldo.  You  and  Helen  can  stop  for  me  when 
you  come  along." 

"  Oh,  mama,  let  mego  with  you,"  pleaded  Helen.  "  I 
never  saw  anybody  who  had  the  rickets." 

"  I  don't  think  it  would  be  best  to  —  disturb  her,"  ob- 
jected Mrs.  Gard.  "  She  was  sleeping  like  the  dead  when 
I  left  her." 

"  Well,  I  guess  she  won't  wake  up  then,"  said  Rinthy 
Pickens  scornfully,  "  an'  if  she  does,  it  won't  hurt  her. 
Come  along,  Helen,  if  you  want  to." 

Young  Susan  looked  wistfully  from  the  kitchen  door, 
a  dish  towel  dangling  from  her  hands.  She  would  have 
liked  to  go  with  her  cousin  to  see  the  sleeping  stranger, 
but  she  knew  that  she  would  not  be  allowed  to  do  so 


24  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

because  her  dishes  were  not  done,  so  she  did  not  put  her- 
self to  the  trouble  of  asking. 

Susan  Gard  stepped  softly  into  her  best  bedroom  fol- 
lowed by  Rinthy  Pickens  and  Helen,  but  Colinette  had 
turned  over  with  her  face  to  the  wall  and  there  was  noth- 
ing to  see  save  a  quantity  of  reddish  hair  half  unbraided, 
the  outline  of  a  thin  cheek  and  a  pretty  ear. 

"  Shake  her  a  little,"  suggested  Rinthy.  "  She'll  turn 
over  then  without  waking  up." 

Susan  Gard  glared  at  her  indignantly.  "  I  sha'n't  do 
anything  of  the  kind,  Rinthy.  You'll  have  plenty  of 
chance  to  see  her  because  I'm  a  goin'  to  bring  her  up." 

"  Even  if  she  is  crooked?  " 

"  The  crookeder  she  is  the  more  she  needs  her  gran'- 
ma's  help." 

"  I  should  have  thought  you  could  have  seen  whether 
she  was  crooked  or  not  when  she  first  come,"  said  Rinthy. 

"  I  didn't  notice  any  crookedness  about  her,  and  it 
don't  make  any  difference  how  crooked  she  is,  or  how 
sick,  or  how  homely,  her  old  grandmother  is  goin'  to  stand 
by  her." 

"What  if  she  sticks  to  the  Catholic  church?  Would 
you  want  her  'round  if  she  insists  on  goin'  to  mass  every 
Sunday?" 

"  I  sha'n't  let  that  make  a  bit  of  difference  so  long  as 
she  stays  a  good  little  girl.  I  s'pose  she  will  want  to  be  a 
Catholic;  her  mother  was  one." 

"  Well,  my  sakes !  Gram'ma  Gard,  you  are  the  f ool- 
ishest  woman  in  this  town  if  you  put  up  with  anything 
like  that  — " 

"  There,  we're  wakin'  her  up  talkin'  so  loud,"  whis- 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  25 

pered  Mrs.  Gard,  and  made  as  if  to  brush  her  visitors 
out  into  the  parlor.  Mrs.  Pickens  refused  to  be  brushed, 
but  fortunately  a  step  on  the  porch  announced  Mr.  Pickens 
and  she  went  out  to  open  the  door  for  him. 

"  Come,  come,"  urged  Waldo  Pickens,  "  we've  got  to 
be  gittin'  home." 

"  I'm  coming  down  tomorrow  to  see  her  when  she's 
awake,"  said  Helen,  as  the  Pickenses  were  leaving,  and 
Mrs.  Gard  murmured  a  reluctant  invitation  and  with  a 
sigh  of  relief,  closed  the  door  after  them. 

She  had  not  needed  Rinthy  Pickens'  warning  to  make 
her  realize  the  responsibility  she  had  assumed,  but  Rinthy 
could  never  know  of  the  glowing  spot  of  comfort  in 
her  heart  at  the  thought  of  that  warm  little  bundle 
of  humanity  curled  up  in  the  middle  of  her  best  bed. 
John's  little  girl,  growing  up  under  her  eyes,  getting  to 
look  more  and  more  like  John  every  day  she  lived.  Per- 
haps in  some  ways  even  better  than  John.  John  had  been 
a  very  honest  boy,  but  a  little  dull  to  learn;  not  half  as 
quick  as  poor  Susan.  Susan  had  taken  after  her  mother, 
John  after  his  father.  But  both  the  children  had  been 
as  healthy  as  the  general  run  of  children.  This  poor 
child  must  have  inherited  the  rickets  from  her  mother. 

Mrs.  Gard  held  the  lamp  in  one  hand  and  the  picture 
of  John's  wife  in  the  other  while  she  studied  the  round 
face  with  its  set,  photographic  smile,  nose  flaring  widely 
at  the  nostrils,  small  —  almost  beadily  small  —  eyes  look- 
ing through  wide-lensed  glasses.  The  hair  may  have 
been  red,  but  looked  black  in  the  picture. 

What  a  mystery  it  all  was!  Here  was  she,  John's 
mother,  hoping  the  child  would  grow  to  look  like  her 


26  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

father,  while  somewhere  else  in  the  world  there  might 
be,  or  must  have  been,  a  mother  who  would  have  pre- 
ferred the  little  one  to  look  like  the  woman  in  this  pic- 
ture. And  what  had  John  seen  in  this  face  to  love  and 
admire?  And  if  John  had  admired  it,  why  could  not 
she?  Oh,  the  narrowness  of  human  love!  Not  capable 
of  reaching  out  beyond  its  own.  Rinthy  Pickens,  for  in- 
stance, was  rather  proud  of  Luther  Dunlap  because  Luther 
was  her  brother,  but  Rinthy  was  always  criticising  Susan ; 
her  housekeeping,  her  way  with  her  step-children,  her 
way  with  her  own  child,  just  because  Susan  was  not  of 
her  blood  and  Luther  was.  And  she,  Susan  Gard,  was 
not  a  whit  broader  or  more  charitable.  She  had  strained 
every  grandmotherly  ligament  in  her  heart  to  give  the 
same  affection  to  Luther  Dunlap's  boys  that  she  had 
given  to  young  Susan,  and  she  knew  very  well  that  she 
had  failed.  Robert,  the  elder,  was  so  —  so  —  and  Elmer, 
the  younger,  was  —  well  —  There  was  no  use  standing 
here  before  the  whatnot  all  night  trying  to  solve  the 
great  riddle  of  life  and  death  and  the  power  of  loving. 
Mrs.  Gard  hastily  blew  out  her  light  and  took  her  be- 
wilderment to  the  Lord  in  prayer  before  she  went  to  rest. 
She  dreaded  the  morning ;  dreaded  Colinette's  awakening, 
sick,  perhaps,  and  crooked,  surely  crooked,  with  one  poor 
little  shoulder  or  hip  hunching  upward  more  and  more 
every  day  under  the  influence  of  that  terrible  disease; 
and  she  having  to  stand  the  coarse,  unkind  remarks  of 
Rinthy  Pickens  and  Waldo  Pickens,  and  the  stares  of 
the  school  children  and  all  —  oh  dear  —  well,  God  would 
help  them  to  bear  it  because,  for  some  mysterious  reason, 
it  was  all  a  part  of  his  great  pattern. 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  27 

But  then  again,  why  did  it  have  to  be  poor  John's  little 
girl  instead  of  Rinthy  Pickens'  Helen  —  Oh,  good  gra- 
cious, where  was  she  drifting?  She  certainly  must  pray 
again.  She  did.  She  prayed  for  more  charity,  more 
patience  to  see  Rinthy  and  Waldo  Pickens  and  Luther 
and  Luther's  boys  more  nearly  as  God  must  see  them, 
really  kindly,  well-meaning  neighbors  and  friends,  not 
to  be  blamed  nor  despired  for  their  little  failings  and 
their  lack  of  insight  —  that  was  it  —  lack  of  insight; 
that  was  what  made  Rinthy  Pickens  say  such  provoking 
things.  It  was  because  she  didn't  know  any  better. 
And  it  was  just  as  cruel  to  blame  her  for  her  inability 
to  think  straight  as  it  would  be  to  blame  little  Colinette 
for  her  inability  to  walk  straight,  that  is,  supposing  the 
rickets  got  in  their  devastating  work  to  that  extent. 

Susan  Gard's  last  waking  thought  was  of  Old  Man 
Klatz's  wheel  chair.  What  had  the  Klatzes  done  with  it 
after  the  old  man  died,  she  wondered.  Shoved  it  up  into 
the  garret,  undoubtedly.  So  if  little  Colinette  should  get 
so  bad  that  — 

Her  first  waking  sensation  was  one  of  terrified  sur- 
prise at  the  sight  which  met  her  eyes. 


Ill 

It  was  long  past  Mrs.  Gard's  hour  for  rising,  and  the 
morning  light  flooded  over  a  figure  dancing  wildly  in 
the  middle  of  her  rag  carpet.  The  figure  consisted  prin- 
cipally of  nightgown  and  flying  red  hair.  The  night- 
gown was  reefed  into  bellying  folds  above  a  pair  of  thin, 
twinkling  legs. 

During  the  night  the  unfamiliar  name  had  slipped  Mrs. 
Gard's  memory,  and  she  sat  up  in  bed  gasping,  "  Susan, 
Susan,  what  are  you  a  doing  ?  " 

An  impishly  solemn  little  face  looked  forth  from  the 
red-and-white  whirl.  "  Exercising  a  little,  grandmother. 
And  are  you  going  to  call  me  Susan,  after  all?  Susan 
the  Fourth?" 

"Why,  no,  child;  of  course  not;  you're  goin'  to  keep 
the  name  your  ma  gave  you." 

"  If  you  would  rather  call  me  Susan,  I  don't  mind." 

"  No,  no ;  you  are  —  why,  you  are  Little  Colinette." 

Colinette  ran  to  the  bed  and  threw  her  arms  around 
her  grandmother  and  kissed  her  passionately.  "  I  don't 
care  what  you  call  me  so  long  as  you  love  me.  And 
you're  going  to  love  me  as  long  as  I  am  a  good  little 
girl,  for  you  said  so  last  night  to  that  old  —  grandmother, 
who  was  that  old  witch  who  came  into  the  house  and 
said  I  was  crooked  ?  " 

Mrs.  Gard  choked,  and  had  quite  a  fit  of  coughing. 

28 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  29 

"  That  wasn't  a  witch ;  that  was  your  Cousin  Susan's 
Aunt  Amarinthy  Pickens.  We  call  her  Aunt  Rinthy  for 
short." 

"  Susan's  aunt,  but  not  my  aunt ;  that's  nice." 

"What?" 

"  I  mean  it's  nice  that  Susan  has  aunts.  They're  nice 
— ■  aunts  are." 

"  You  mustn't  hold  a  grudge  against  Aunt  Rinthy 
Pickens  for  saying  —  well,  what  she  did  say  last  night, 
and  what  she  wouldn't  have  said  if  she'd  a  known  you 
was  awake." 

"  That  I  was  crooked  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

■  I  don't  hold  a  grudge,  because  what  she  said  is  true; 
I  am." 

"  You  poor  little  thing !  Why,  I  never  noticed  it  at 
all." 

"  No,  you  can't  —  can't  notice  it  —  from  the  outside. 
I'm  all  right  —  on  the  outside." 

"Of  course  you  are.  And  now  don't  you  worry  one 
bit." 

"  I  don't  worry  very  much,  grandmother.  And  that 
Rinthy  woman  said  one  thing  that  isn't  so;  she  said  that 
I  would  get  crookeder  and  crookeder.  I  don't  believe  I 
shall—" 

"  Of  course,  you  don't.  You  just  be  a  good  girl,  eat 
all  you  want,  and  rest  lots,  and  say  your  prayers  regu- 
lar—" 

"  That's  a  pretty  good  thing  for  a  crooked  person  to 
do,  isn't  it  ?  " 

"  'Deed  an'  indeed  it  is.     Now  go  and  dress  and  we'll 


30  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

have  our  breakfast  in  a  jiffy.  After  breakfast  we're 
goin'  down  town  to  buy  you  a  couple  of  good  everyday 
dresses  and  some  nice  aprons." 

As  they  were  about  to  sit  down  to  breakfast  Mrs.  Gard 
inquired,  "  Them  your  best  shoes  that  you've  got  on  ?  " 

"  Yes,  grandmother." 

"Of  course,  your  everyday  shoes  was  in  your  satchel, 
wa'n't  they?" 

"  Yes,  grandmother." 

"  Oh,  here  is  Uncle  Waldo.  Now  maybe  he'll  go  to 
the  depot  to  try  to  git  some  trace  of  your  satchel.  Come 
on  in,  Waldo."  The  invitation  was  superfluous;  Pickens 
was  already  in.  "  Won't  you  draw  up  an'  have  a  cup  of 
coffee?  " 

Mr.  Pickens  did  not  seem  to  think  it  necessary  to  re- 
spond; he  merely  "drew  up"  and  sat  waiting  for  Mrs. 
Gard,  who  had  gone  to  the  cupboard  for  another  cup 
and  saucer.  He  fixed  his  gaze  upon  Colinette  with  a  dis- 
concerting steadiness. 

"  So  this  is  John's  girl,  eh?  "  he  inquired,  much  as  he 
would  have  asked  if  this  was  John's  new  coat. 

"  Yes,  this  is  John's  girl."  A  sudden  pride  warmed 
Mrs.  Gard's  tones,  a  pride  resented  by  the  father  of  "  the 
smartest  girl  west  of  the  railroad." 

"What's  your  name?"  he  inquired  bruskly. 

"  Colinette."  The  voice  was  low  and  musical,  the  def- 
erential quality  in  the  tone  pleasing  —  too  pleasing  to 
satisfy  Waldo  Pickens.  He  would  have  preferred  John 
Gard's  daughter  to  be  of  a  boisterous  turn;  one  who 
might  be  advised  to  "  take  a  lesson  from  Helen.  Helen 
knew  how  to  act  like  a  lady." 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  31 

"Remember  your  father?" 

"  No,  sir." 

"Humph!     Remember  your  mother?" 

"  Why,  of  course,  Waldo.  Her  mother,  you  remem- 
ber— "  Mrs.  Gard  had  returned  to  the  table  and  was 
pouring  his  coffee. 

"  Oh,  yes ;  died  last  week,  you  said  last  night.  I  re- 
member.    Did  she  suffer  much  ?  " 

"  Waldo,  I  ain't  talked  to  Colinette  about  that  yet. 
We'll  feel  more  like  talking  that  over  after  —  after 
awhile ;  after  we've  got  sort  of  settled  like."  Mrs.  Gard 
fairly  trembled  with  apprehension.  It  was  cruel  to  probe 
among  a  child's  tangled  heartstrings  in  this  way  —  a  poor 
little  stranger  in  a  strange  place  with  a  great  grief  still 
fresh  in  her  memory.  Susan  Gard  changed  the  current 
of  conversation  into  more  cheerful  channels. 

"  We're  going  down  town  this  morning  to  buy  some 
new  gingham  dresses  and  some  aprons.  Colinette  lost 
all  her  things  on  the  train ;  lost  her  satchel,  you  see." 

"  Lost  her  satchel !  How  did  that  happen  ?  Some- 
body steal  it  off  yeh,  or  did  you  come  off  like  a  boob  an' 
forgit  it?" 

"  I  came  off  like  a  boob  and  forgot  it,"  owned  Colinette 
in  such  a  ladylike  tone  that  one  might  have  inferred  that 
coming  off  like  a  boob  and  forgetting  one's  baggage  was 
a  very  graceful  thing  to  do.  Pickens  was  surprised  at 
the  girl's  ready  acceptance  of  a  suggestion  he  had  not 
meant  to  be  complimentary.  He  could  not  think  of  any- 
thing more  cutting  to  say  than,  "  Well,  my  land ! " 

"  I  wish  you  could  go  round  by  the  depot  and  inquire 
if  they  couldn't  git  it  at  the  end  of  the  road,  or  some- 


32  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

thing,"  suggested  Mrs.  Gard,  "  I  don't  s'pose  we'll  ever  see 
hide  or  hair  of  it  again." 

"  'Course  not,"  said  Mr.  Pickens,  "  never  in  the 
world." 

"  You  see  the  poor  child  started  out  all  alone  so  —  and 
not  used  to  travelin'  — " 

"  Well,  I'll  bet  Helen  wouldn't  have  lost  her  satchel. 
She's  the  best  hand  to  take  care  of  her  things  I  ever  see 
in  my  life.  I've  never  known  her  to  leave  her  hat  an' 
coat  layin'  round  on  chairs  an'  things.  Her  ma  is  a 
pretty  good  hand  to  keep  things  straight  but,  by  gracious, 
Helen  goes  her  one  better.  Now  if  she  had  been  in  your 
place,"  he  turned  to  Colinette,  "  she'd  a  had  one  hand  on 
that  satchel,  you  bettcha,  and  nobody  would  have  got  it 
away  from  her,  that's  certain." 

"  Well,  Waldo,  if  you  should  happen  to  be  round  by 
the  depot,  and  it  wouldn't  put  you  out  too  much,  you 
might  inquire  about  it." 

"  Way  to  do,"  said  Pickens,  "  is  to  wire  in  to  the  gen- 
eral office  in  the  city.  It'll  be  in  the  Lost-and-Found 
department.  I  don't  know  as  I  want  to  spare  the  price 
of  a  telegram  to  make  up  for  somebody  else's  careless- 
ness." 

"  Oh,  I'd  expect  to  pay  for  the  telegram,  of  course," 
Mrs.  Gard  assured  him. 

"What  fur  a  lookin'  satchel  was  it?"  asked  Pickens, 
"  and  was  there  enough  in  it  to  pay  for  so  much  trouble?  " 

"  It  was  yellow  with  rope  handles.  There  were  just 
a  few  old  things  in  it.  I  don't  think  it  would  pay  you  to 
telegraph  about  it,  grandmother. 

"  I  should  say  not !  "  snorted  Waldo  Pickens.     "  You 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  33 

might  better  take  the  money  the  telegram  would  cost 
and  buy  new  stuff." 

"  I  guess  that  would  be  best,"  owned  Mrs.  Gard. 
"  We're  goin'  down  this  morning  to  buy  some  things  just 
as  soon  as  I  git  the  work  done  up."  She  rose  and  began 
hastily  to  clear  the  table.  "  You  needn't  help  with  the 
dishes;  you  take  those  shears  that  hang  there  under  the 
looking-glass  and  go  an'  cut  the  sweetpeas.  That'll  help 
me  as  much  as  anything  you  can  do,"  she  told  her  grand- 
daughter. "  You've  got  your  hair  combed  all  nice  an' 
tidy,  so  it  won't  take  you  long  to  git  ready."  Mrs.  Gard 
spoke  of  Colinette's  hair  in  order  to  draw  Waldo's  atten- 
tion to  its  beauty.     Waldo's  attention  was  drawn. 

"  Funny  that  John's  girl  should  have  red  hair.  The 
way  I  remember  John  was  as  black  as  a  crow,  like  all 
the  Gards.     Did  your  mother  have  red  hair?" 

"  No,  sir;  rusty  brown." 

"  Humph !  "  said  Mr.  Pickens. 

"  But  her  sisters  all  had  red  hair,"  added  Colinette. 

"  I  want  to  know!  "  cried  Mrs.  Gard,  caught  at  once 
in  a  mesh  of  interest. 

"  How  many  sisters  did  your  mother  have  ?  "  asked 
Waldo  Pickens. 

"  Eleven." 

"Eleven!     My  Peters!" 

"  Eleven !  "  cried  Mrs.  Gard,  "  now  ain't  that  wonder- 
ful! You  see,"  she  said,  turning  to  Pickens,  "I  never 
knew  anything  about  John's  wife  or  her  folks.  Ain't  it  a 
pity !     Dear  suz !     Eleven,  and  all  red-headed !  " 

After  Waldo  Pickens  had  inquired  minutely  as  to  Coli- 
nette's standing  in  school  (receiving  unsatisfactory  and 


34  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

evasive  answers)  and  had  recounted  Helen's  triumphs  in 
educational  lines,  warning  Colinette  that  she  would  have 
"  to  make  tracks  to  keep  up  with  Helen,"  he  went  away 
and  Colinette  went  out  to  gather  the  sweetpeas.  She 
put  the  pink  ones  together,  and  the  lavender,  and  the 
purple,  tucking  the  white  ones  in  between  the  pinks  and 
the  purples.  The  magenta  blossoms  she  made  into  a 
separate  cluster  with  a  mist  of  green  leaves  to  soften 
their  garishness.  Her  grandmother  came  out  bringing 
a  little  three-legged  stool. 

"  Why,  got  'em  picked  already  ?  I  was  going  to  tell 
you  to  set  on  this  stool  on  the  edge  of  the  porch  and 
move  it  along  as  you  picked.  It's  easier  to  pick  'em 
that  way.  My,  they're  pretty  this  morning;  you've 
bunched  'em  so  pretty.  I  never  thought  of  putting  'em 
together  —  or  I  mean  separate  —  or,  rather,  together  that 
way." 

They  carried  them  in  and  Colinette  helped  her  grand- 
mother finish  the  dishes  in  spite  of  that  lady's  protesta- 
tions. 

"  I  don't  want  you  to  git  all  beat  out  before  we  even 
start  for  town.  You  must  remember,"  she  warned,  "  we 
ain't  in  the  city,  to  ride  plumb  to  the  store  door;  we've 
got  to  walk  pretty  near  a  mile  before  we  begin  to  buy 
at  all." 

"  Oh,  grandmother,  I'm  as  stout  as  a  lion,"  said  Coli- 
nette.    "  You'll  see  how  strong  I  am." 

"  I  know,  dear,  but  after  all,  you  ain't  strong.  You've 
got  to  be  petted  and  fed  and  rested  up  and  then  you'll 
git  over  this  trouble  of  yours.  Maybe  we'd  better  drop 
in  an'  see  Dr.  Merton  about  it  today  while  we're  down 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  35 

town — "     Colinette  uttered  an  exclamation  of  dismay. 

"  Oh,  no,  no,  grandmother;  I'm  well  now.  You  see 
last  night's  rest  and  my  good  supper  and  breakfast  have 
—  have  cured  me.     I  don't  need  a  doctor." 

"  My  poor  little  girl,  two  good  meals  and  one  night's 
rest  don't  always  cure  a  case  of  inherited  rickets.  We'll 
let  the  doctor  go  today.  But  Dr.  Merton  is  a  good  man. 
You'll  like  him  real  well." 

Colinette  put  on  her  ugly  little  mushroom  hat.  It 
shut  down  over  her  dazzling  braids  like  a  candle  extin- 
guisher, at  the  same  time  enhancing  the  beauty  of  her 
somber  eyes. 

"  Here's  your  cousin  Susan  come  over  to  git  ac- 
quainted," said  Mrs.  Gard,  and  Susan  advanced  almost 
sullenly  to  shake  hands  with  her  new  relative.  There 
was  a  hint  of  disapproval  toward  the  rival  who  had  come 
so  suddenly  into  her  grandmother's  affections.  The  two 
girls  shook  hands  soberly.  Colinette's  eyes  lingered  an 
instant  upon  her  cousin's  face  as  for  some  Masonic  sign 
of  their  common  girlhood,  but  Susan  ignored  the  ap- 
peal.    She  remained  cold. 

"  We  are  just  starting  down  to  buy  some  dresses  and 
things  for  Colinette ;  don't  you  want  to  come  with  us  ?  " 
invited  Mrs.  Gard.  She  was  tenderer  than  usual  to 
Susan  because  of  that  inordinate  pride  in  John's  girl 
which  had  come  to  life  so  fiercely  in  her  heart.  Her 
love  for  John's  little  girl  must  not  be  allowed  to  inter- 
fere with  her  love  for  Susan's  little  girl;  Susan's  poor 
little  Susan  who  had  always  had  such  a  hard  time  with 
Luther's  children.  Mrs.  Gard  hoped  fervently  that 
Susan  and  Colinette  would  be  friends. 


36  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

Susan  went  with  her  cousin  and  grandmother  first  to 
"  The  Railroad  Store  "  where  Mrs.  Gard  had  an  account. 
Here  Mrs.  Gard  bought  a  pair  of  shoes  for  each  grand- 
daughter, and  an  injudicious  clerk  mentioned  the  fact 
that  one  girl  got  twice  as  much  for  her  money  as  the 
other  one  did.  This  hurt  Susan,  who  had  already  envied 
Colinette  her  slender,  quick  little  feet. 

The  railroad  emporium  was  a  low-roofed  building  with 
two  entrances,  one  of  which  led  to  the  grocery  depart- 
ment—  canned  tomatoes,  beans,  the  toothsome  sardine; 
the  other  brought  the  seeker  straight  to  the  drygoods 
counter,  where  were  displayed  a  great  many  pieces  of 
calico  and  a  few  rolls  of  woolen  goods  of  the  commoner 
kinds,  straw  hats  for  the  farmer  boys,  overalls  and  coarse 
socks  for  the  men  who  worked  in  the  windmill  factory. 
Susan  Gard  seldom  went  beyond  the  Railroad  Store  for 
her  simple  needs.  Today,  however,  she  was  going  down 
to  Calkins'  big  store.  Colinette  was  to  have  the  benefit 
of  a  larger  assortment  from  which  to  choose. 

At  Calkins'  a  difference  of  opinion  occurred  between 
Colinette  and  her  grandmother  in  the  matter  of  dress 
material.  Mrs.  Gard  favored  a  bright  pink,  Colinette 
preferred  a  stripe  in  soft  tan  and  green.  At  the  crucial 
moment  the  proprietor's  wife  and  daughter  entered  the 
store,  the  latter  wearing  a  dress  of  the  identical  pink 
favored  by  Mrs.  Gard.  Colinette  started  as  she  recog- 
nized her  traveling  companions  of  the  day  before.  They 
saw  Colinette  and  bore  down  upon  her  and  her  grand- 
mother with  the  air  of  assured  position  which  small-town 
society  folk  are  wont  to  display. 

"How-de-do,  Mrs.  Gard?"  greeted  the  store-keeper's 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  37 

lady  with  a  patronizing  air.  "  I  see  your  granddaughter 
found  you.  The  conductor  came  and  asked  me  about 
you  yesterday  on  the  train.  He  said  he  had  a  girl  aboard 
who  had  no  baggage  and  no  money  to  pay  for  her  ride. 
He  said  she  was  going  to  her  grandmother's  in  Redmoon 
and  he  wanted  to  make  sure  that  she  had  a  grandmother 
in  Redmoon." 

"  Yes,  John's  girl,"  said  Mrs.  Gard,  with  that  indefin- 
able air  of  pride  which  she  had  displayed  before  when 
speaking  of  Colinette.  "  But  the  conductor  is  mistaken 
about  her  not  havin'  any  baggage;  she  had  a  satchel,  but 
she  forgot  it  and  left  it  on  the  train.  A  funny-looking 
satchel,  I  should  think  by  her  description;  yellow  with 
rope  handles  —  didn't  you  say  it  was,  Colinette  ?  —  I 
should  have  thought  you  would  have  noticed  it.  In  fact, 
I  should  have  thought  anybody  would  have  noticed  a 
queer  looking  satchel  like  that." 

Gertie  Calkins  tittered  in  a  suppressed,  ladylike  way; 
Mrs.  Gard  grew  somewhat  confused  under  the  unbeliev- 
ing stare  of  Mrs.  Calkins;  Susan  Dunlap  turned  a  fiery 
red  and  shifted  her  weight  from  one  foot  to  the  other; 
Colinette  alone  remained  calm. 

"  I  think,  grandmother,"  she  said,  entirely  ignoring  the 
question  of  baggage,  "  I  think  I  would  rather  have  my 
dress  from  this  piece,  if  you  don't  mind."  She  indicated 
the  green  and  tan,  at  the  same  time  letting  her  glance 
travel  over  the  front  breadth,  the  white  vest,  collar  and 
sleeves  of  the  pink  dress  in  front  of  her.  This  deliberate 
slight  to  her  gown  gave  Gertie  Calkins  something  else  to 
think  of  besides  strange-looking  traveling  bags. 

"  Evidently  you  don't  admire  Gertie's  taste,"  said  Mrs. 


38  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

Calkins  and  laughed  dryly.  "  When  Gertie  selected  that 
piece  she  tried  to  make  her  papa  promise  not  to  sell  an- 
other dress  off  from  it,  at  least  not  to  any  girl  who  would 
be  going  to  the  South  School,  but  he  would  not  promise. 
And  I  suppose  you  will  go  to  the  West  School  for  awhile 
anyway,  won't  you?     You  are  little." 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  Colinette,  "  but  it  doesn't  make 
any  difference  because  grandmother  will  get  me  the  other 
dress,  I  am  sure."  She  surveyed  Gertie  Calkins  from 
head  to  foot  with  a  sober,  appraising  gaze. 

"  You  see,  grandmother,  a  girl  with  nice  dark  hair  can 
wear  a  magenta  dress,  but  a  red-haired  girl  would  look 
dreadfully  in  that  color."  And  then  she  turned  calmly 
back  to  the  tan  and  green  stripe,  leaving  Gertie  Calkins 
undecided  as  to  whether  she  had  been  affronted  or  com- 
plimented, and  also  a  good  deal  amazed  at  such  a  dis- 
play of  self-assurance  in  one  who  was  destined  to  live 
above  the  railroad. 


IV 

"  You  are  a  queer  girl,  Colinette,"  declared  Susan  Dun- 
lap  as  the  two  girls  strolled  homeward  laden  with  pack- 
ages. Mrs.  Gard  had  sent  them  on  ahead  while  she  went 
to  make  a  call  on  "  Sister  Kize." 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  queer?  "  asked  Colinette. 

"  I  don't  know  whether  I  like  you  or  not,"  owned  Susan 
bluntly. 

"  I  am  sorry,"  said  Colinette  softly,  "  because  I  know 
that  I  love  you." 

Susan  gasped.  No  one  had  ever  said  such  things  to 
her  before.  She  knew,  of  course,  that  her  mother  and 
her  grandmother  loved  her  —  knew  by  actions,  not  by 
words.  But  to  be  told  out  and  out  that  somebody  loved 
her,  and  that  somebody  a  person  to  whom  you  had  de- 
cided to  talk  pretty  plainly  —  pretty  disagreeably,  in  fact 
—  was  disconcerting. 

"  One  thing  sure,  gram'ma  won't  like  you  if  — " 

"  If  what?  "  asked  Colinette. 

"If  she  catches  you  telling  lies." 

Susan  expected  a  garrulous  explanation  from  her  new 
cousin,  but  none  was  forthcoming.  Colinette  neither  con- 
fessed nor  denied  the  accusation. 

"  When  she  was  just  a  young  girl  gram'ma  adopted  a 
motto  to  go  by  all  her  life,"  went  on  Susan.  "  When 
she  was  just  a  young  girl  like  us." 

39 


40  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

"What  was  the  motto?" 

"  Honesty  is  the  Best  Policy.  She  told  me  about  it  a 
long  time  ago  and  she  advised  me  to  choose  a  motto 
and  live  by  it  all  my  life." 

"Did  you?" 

"  No.  I  couldn't  think  of  one,  so  I  just  hitched  onto 
gram'ma's;  it's  good  enough  for  anybody." 

"  Yes,  it's  a  good  one,"  owned  Colinette,  "  but  —  it 
doesn't  get  you  anywhere." 

"  Well,  my  goodness !  Maybe  you  know  a  better 
one. 

"  I  don't  think  mine  is  —  any  better  than  grand- 
mother's; it's  more  common  than  hers.  More  people 
live  by  it.  It  is :  When  you  Want  a  Thing  Very  Much, 
Go  After  It." 

Susan  laughed.  "  Well,  I  guess  that's  all  right  as  far 
as  it  goes,  but  you  need  to  hitch  gram'ma's  onto  the  tail 
of  it." 

"  Does  grandmother  always  live  up  to  her  motto?  " 

"  Yes,  ma'm,  she  does ;  and  she  hasn't  much  use  for 
folks  who  live  by  your  motto  unless  they  are  honest  in 
the  bargain.     Anyhow  it's  silly  to  tell  useless  lies." 

"  Yes,  it  is,"  owned  Colinette,  "  and  I'm  trying  to  stop 
that." 

"  For  instance,  telling  gram'ma  that  the  satchel  that 
you  lost  was  yellow  with  rope  handles  — •" 

"  I  never  told  grandmother  that ;  I  told  your  Uncle 
Pickens  that." 

"  What  made  you  do  it?  " 

"  Your  Uncle  Pickens  is  the  kind  that  makes  a  person 
lie  to  them  naturally ;  don't  you  think  so  ?  " 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  41 

Susan  squealed  with  laughter,  dropped  one  package 
and  then  another.  They  were  mounting  the  railroad  ap- 
proach. One  of  the  bundles  ambled  gaily  along  the  edge, 
then  plumped  into  the  weeds  below  the  approach.  Coli- 
nette  went  after  it  with  a  bound. 

"Oh,  don't!"  cried  Susan,  "Don't  go  down  there! 
There's  poison  ivy  in  that  weedy  tangle !  " 

But  Colinette  held  the  recovered  package  aloft  just  as 
a  boy  came  whistling  up  the  opposite  side  of  the  ap- 
proach. He  stared  hard  at  Colinette  emerging  from  the 
thicket. 

"  You'll  have  a  nice  mug  on  you  about  tomorrow,"  he 
predicted,  and  grinned  broadly. 

"  Poison  ivy ;  that's  why !  "  scolded  Susan.  "  I  told 
you  not  to  go  down  there." 

"  Well,  I  shouldn't  if  I'd  seen  this  boy  coming.  I 
would  have  asked  him  to  get  the  bundle  for  us." 

"Me?  Me?"  exclaimed  the  boy,  "You  think  for  a 
minute  I'd  get  down  into  that  nest  of  poison  ivy?  Well, 
not  that  anybody  is  aware  of !  " 

"  Coward !  "  murmured  Colinette  so  softly  that  neither 
the  boy  nor  Susan  could  believe  they  had  heard  aright. 

"What's  that?"  demanded  the  boy,  "  Wha'd'yeh  call 
me?" 

"  Oh,  come  along !  "  exclaimed  Susan  all  in  a  disturbed 
flutter,  and  Colinette  obeyed,  leaving  the  boy  standing 
on  the  railroad  track  staring  after  them,  his  ears  red  with 
suppressed  wrath. 

"  You've  got  a  whole  lot  to  learn  if  you  are  to  get  along 
in  Redmoon,"  grumbled  Susan  as  soon  as  the  boy's  head 
had  disappeared  on  the  other  side  of  the  railroad  ap- 


42  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

proach.  "  Do  you  know  who  that  was  ?  That  was  Jeff 
Plummer." 

"  Oh,"  breathed  Colinette,  and  Susan  felt  that  at  last 
Colinette  was  duly  impressed. 

"  Yes,  Jeff  Plummer.  And  you've  made  him  mad  by 
calling  him  a  coward.  Jeff  Plummer  is  far  from  being 
a  coward,  let  me  tell  you.  He's  the  best  baseball  pitcher 
in  town." 

"  Oh,"  murmured  Colinette  again,  "  do  you  have  to  be 
brave  to  be  that?" 

"  You  know  better  than  that,  Colinette ;  you  know  you 
don't  really  have  to  be  brave  to  be  a  baseball  pitcher. 
But  Jeff  isn't  a  coward  anyway." 

"  He  was  afraid  of  poison  ivy." 

"  Well,  it  stands  anyone  in  hand  to  be  afraid  of  poison 
ivy.     Ain't  you  afraid  of  poison  ivy?  " 

"  I  don't  know  anything  about  it,"  confessed  Colinette. 
"  I  have  never  heard  of  it  before." 

"  I'll  bet  you'll  swell  up  like  a  toad  after  flopping 
around  that  way  down  there  under  that  sidewalk."  Coli- 
nette did  not  seem  to  be  worried.  "  That's  where  the 
Plummers  live."     Susan  shifted  a  bundle  to  the  right. 

"  In  that  tumbledown  old  house  ?  " 

"  Goodness,  no.  That  tumbledown  old  house  is  the 
old  Pettingill  Hotel.  It's  haunted !,"  she  added  with  awe. 
"  It  used  to  be  a  dreadfully  wicked  place  years  ago  when 
the  town  was  new.  There  was  a  murder  committed 
there.  And  then  whoever  owned  it  couldn't  rent  it  for  a 
hotel,  it  had  such  a  bad  name,  and  the  town  grew  away 
from  it  —  went  down  below  the  railroad  more,  and  it 
was  too  big  for  just  a  house  to  live  in,  and  so,  I  don't 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  43 

know  just  why,  but  it  has  been  empty  and  tumbledown 
ever  since  I  can  remember.  That  is  Plummer's  house  to 
the  north  of  it.  Plummer's  house  faces  on  the  next 
street.  It's  grand  when  you  see  it  from  the  front.  The 
only  nice  house  —  really  nice,  you  know  —  west  of  the 
railroad.  The  Brackley  s  built  it,  but  they  live  in  a  fine 
place,  a  regular  palace,  down  in  the  tony  part  of  town 
now.  They  are  awfully  tony;  a  good  deal  more  so  than 
the  Calkinses  that  you  saw  in  the  store  today.  Old 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brackley  are  dead  now  and  their  son  mar- 
ried Mr.  Neal's  daughter,  Alice  Neal.  Ma  says  Alice 
Neal  was  the  prettiest  little  thing  you  ever  saw.  Old  Neal 
was  owner  of  the  pump  factory  and  as  rich  as  mud  — 
why,  your  father  and  my  mother  used  to  go  to  school  with 
Alice  Neal  and  Richard  Brackley  and  Gertie  Calkins' 
mother.  And  now  they're  all  grown  up  and  got  grown- 
up children  of  their  own." 

Colinette  sighed.     "  It's  —  sort  of  sad,  isn't  it  ?  " 

"Sad?  Why,  I  don't  know,"  said  Susan,  who  had 
never  looked  at  it  in  that  light  before,  "  Why  is»  it 
sad?" 

"  Oh  —  I  can't  explain  it,  but  once  this  street  belonged 
to  those  young  folks ;  this,  and  all  the  streets  in  this  town. 
Now  they're  grown  up  and  sad  and  gone  away  and  an- 
other crowd  of  young  folks  and  children  own  the  streets 
with  never  a  thought  of  — " 

"  My  goodness,  Colinette,  you  almost  make  me  cry ! 
You  talk  like  some  old  women.  Don't  think  of  the  old 
folks,  think  of  the  young  folks." 

"  You  and  that  Jeff  Plummer?" 

Susan  grew  red  and  giggled  coyly.     "  Yes,  but  you 


44  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

needn't  couple  us  together,  because  Jeff  Plummer 
wouldn't  look  at  me.  He  goes  with  the  Morning 
Glory  crowd ;  not  with  any  old  cheap  above-the  -railroad 
boys  and  girls,  you  needn't  think  for  a  minute." 

"He's  an  above-the-railroad  boy  himself,  isn't  he?" 

"  Oh  —  well,  yes ;  but  the  Morning  Glory  girls  take  him 
into  their  bunch  because  his  father's  rich  and  he  is  such 
a  big  gun  on  the  ball  team  and  —  because  he's  so  hand- 
some.    Don't  you  think  he's  handsome?" 

Colinette  seemed  to  be  trying  to  recall  Jeff  Plummer's 
features. 

"  He's  —  rather  small." 

"  Oh,  well,  if  you  like  great  spraddling  boys  you'll 
fall  dead  in  love  with  Villie  Klatz  who  lives  next  door 
to  us ;  he's  bigger'n  a  barn.  The  Klatzes  are  Germans  and 
his  mother  calls  him  '  Villie,'  so  all  the  boys  call  him 
Villie." 

"  His  ears  are  large  and  red."  Colinette  was  still 
thinking  of  Jeff  Plummer,  not  of  Villie  Klatz.  Susan 
understood. 

"  Of  course  his  ears  are  red;  that  comes  from  playing 
ball  in  the  hot  sun.  I  just  now  told  you  that  he  was  the 
best  pitcher  in  Redmoon." 

"  A  little  pitcher  with  large  ears,"  mused  Colinette. 

"What?" 

"  Nothing.  Just  something  silly  that  I  happened  to 
think  of."  They  had  come  opposite  the  ruined  Pettingill 
House  and  Colinette  paused  to  gaze  across  the  street  at 
it.  Susan  thought  she  was  looking  past  it  at  the  Plum- 
mer residence. 

"  It's  real  pretty  and  fixed  up  when  you  see  it  from 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  45 

the  front.  Of  course  from  the  back  it  doesn't  show  at 
all  because  the  old  Petting-ill  House  hides  it." 

"  Let's  go  over  there,"  said  Colinette  suddenly. 

"  Why  —  Mrs.  Plummer  might  not  be  home,  and  be- 
sides — " 

"  I  don't  mean  into  Plummers',  I  mean  into  the  old 
hotel.  I  have  never  been  in  a  haunted  house  and  I  al- 
ways wanted  to  go  into  one." 

Susan  nearly  dropped  her  packages  again  in  her  as- 
tonishment. 

"  Why,  Colinette  Gard,  you're  the  silliest  thing  I  ever 
heard  of !  Into  the  old  Pettingill  House?  I  wouldn't  go 
in  there  for  a  thousand  dollars!  Nobody  ever  goes  in 
there.  It's  horrible  in  there.  Why,  even  the  boys  don't 
go  near  it!" 

"  I  see  they  have  broken  out  all  the  panes  of  the  win- 
dows which  aren't  boarded  up  or  closed  by  shutters." 

"  Oh,  well,  they  can  stand  over  here  across  the  street 
and  fling  stones,  but  they  don't  go  in.  Why,  they  don't 
even  go  by  on  that  side  of  the  street.  Nobody  does.  Ma 
says  Mrs.  Plummer  told  somebody,  I  don't  remember 
who,  that  the  old  place  had  always  been  a  nuisance  to 
them,  for  when  Jeff  was  a  little  fellow  and  would  natu- 
rally have  played  on  the  back  end  of  their  own  lot,  he 
never  did,  because  of  the  old  hotel  coming  right  smack 
up  against  it  as  it  does." 

"  Coward !  "  sighed  Colinette. 

"  You  are  making  out  that  you  are  awful  brave,  Coli- 
nette, but  I  bet  if  it  came  right  down  to  a  trial  you 
wouldn't  even  dare  go  over  on  that  side  of  the  street 
alone.     Of  course,  I  don't  suppose  Jeff  Plummer  is  really 


46  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

afraid  now  that  he  has  grown  up,  but  just  the  same  he 
doesn't  hang  round  the  old  Pettingill  House,  you  may 
be  sure.  And  my  brothers  would  no  more  go  into  that 
dark  old  haunted  place  than  they  would  jump  into  the 
well.     Even  Rob  wouldn't." 

Colinette  absent-mindedly  thrust  the  packages  she  car- 
ried upon  those  already  in  Susan's  arms. 

"  I'm  going  over,"  she  said,  and  went.  Susan  pleaded 
against  it.  She  called  after  her  cousin  that  she  would  see 
something  horrible  or  hear  something  horrible ;  that  there 
were  noises  heard  in  that  old  building  nights  —  oh,  awful 
cries  and  moans  and  gurglings  and  oaths.  But  she  had 
her  trouble  for  nothing.  Colinette  had  already  passed 
within  the  rickety  paling  fence,  a  task  easily  accom- 
plished, although  the  gate  proper  was  nailed  up.  The 
house  faced  the  cross  street  with  many  shuttered  win- 
dows looking  blindly  toward  the  west.  Its  rather  pre- 
tentious front  entrance  was  near  the  north  portion  of  the 
west  front.  The  kitchen  wing  stretched  toward  the 
south  and  another  wing  toward  the  east.  In  agony  Susan 
saw  Colinette  mount  to  the  sill  of  the  empty  kitchen  win- 
dow frame  and  disappear  within.  She  called  but  there 
was  no  response.  She  looked  longingly  up  and  down 
the  street  for  help.  If  only  somebody  —  somebody  with 
authority  —  would  appear  and  command  Colinette  to 
come  out.  She  longed  for  the  sight  of  her  grand- 
mother's sturdy  figure  coming  up  over  the  railroad.  But, 
no,  her  grandmother  would  not  leave  Sister  Kize's  for 
an  hour  yet.  A  loud  crash  sounded  inside  the  haunted 
house.  Susan  began  to  whimper.  She  put  all  her  bun- 
dles down  upon  the  sidewalk  as  if  she  intended  to  go  to 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  47 

Colinette's  rescue,  but  knew  that  she  would  not  —  could 
not  bring  herself  to  go.  She  was  alternately  crying  and 
scolding  when  she  caught  sight  of  a  shoe,  a  leg,  a  navy 
blue  petticoat  at  the  sashless  window  —  Colinette,  alive, 
intact,  coming  out  into  the  sunlight  once  more.  She 
wore  a  very  sober  expression,  but  that  was  nothing;  she 
was  always  sober.  Susan  had  yet  to  learn  that  Colinette 
serious  was  Colinette  up  to  mischief. 

Susan  ceased  her  weeping,  but  speeded  up  with  her 
scolding.  After  she  had  finished  with  an  indignant  per- 
oration, she  let  her  curiosity  have  full  sway. 

"  Well,  what's  in  the  old  rathole  anyhow  ?" 

Colinette  stooped  for  her  quota  of  packages.  "  First 
I  climbed  in  through  the  window  — " 

"  I  don't  need  to  be  told  that." 

"  And  got  into  the  kitchen.  There  was  a  dirty  spot 
where  a  cookstove  had  once  stood,  and  that  was  about  all. 
A  door  led  into  the  main  part  of  the  house,  but  that  was 
locked  and  I  couldn't  get  in.  I  thought  I  should  have  to 
come  out  without  seeing  the  rest  of  the  place,  but  just 
then  I  noticed  a  trap  door.  I  had  a  dreadful  time  lifting 
it,  but  I  got  it  up  at  last  and  it  fell  over  with  a  bang.  But 
I  saw  that  it  led  to  the  cellar  stairs  so  I  went  down  — " 

"  For  all  the  world !  "  cried  out  Susan.  M  You  went 
down  cellar?     Ain't  you  afraid  of  anything?" 

"  Yes,  there  is  one  thing  I  am  afraid  of." 

"  Well,  do  tell  me  what  it  is." 

"  Never  mind  that  now.  I'll  tell  you,  maybe,  some- 
time. Well,  I  came  up  through  a  blind  sort  of  door 
under  the  front  stairs  into  the  main  hall.  It's  an  awfully 
interesting  place.     From  the  hall  I  went  into  every  room 


48  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

in  the  house,  upstairs  and  down  —  Susan,  what  is  the 
building  which  stands  in  the  Plummers'  yard  right  close 
up  to  the  Plummers'  back  fence?  " 

"That?  Oh,  that's  the  Plummer  storehouse  now,  I 
suppose.  It  used  to  be  Richard  Brackley's  studio  when 
he  was  a  boy.  His  father  built  it  for  him  —  think  of 
it  —  a  whole  building  just  for  a  boy.  He's  an  artist 
now,  you  know ;  makes  pictures  for  the  magazines  in  New 
York  and  some  other  big  cities.  He  still  lives  here  in 
Redmoon  when  he  is  really  home,  but  he  is  gone  a  good 
deal  of  the  time.  But  his  wife  and  boy  stay  here  a  good 
deal.  You  ought  to  see  the  Brackley  place.  It's  awfully 
grand  and  swell  and  all.  I've  got  some  of  his  pictures 
that  I  cut  out  of  some  old  magazines." 

"Oh,  Susan!" 

"  Why,  yes.  If  it  wasn't  that  you'd  catch  the  mumps 
you  could  come  in  with  me  now  and  I'd  take  you  up- 
stairs and  show  them  to  you." 

"Oh,  Susan!" 

"  Goodness  me,  what's  the  matter  ?  They  ain't  any- 
thing so  grand  —  just  magazine  pictures.  But  you 
mustn't  come  in  till  Elmer  gits  over  his  mumps.  And 
then  you  must  come  over  and  see  ma.  Just  think,  she's 
your  own  aunt,  and  you've  been  here  a  day  and  a  night 
and  haven't  seen  her  yet  —  your  own  aunt.  She  is  your 
only  aunt,  ain't  she  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Colinette  absent-mindedly,  ignoring  en- 
tirely for  a  moment  that  brigade  of  red-haired  relatives  to 
which  she  had  confessed  earlier  in  the  day. 

"  But,  of  course,  you  mustn't  come  in  now  or  you'll 
get  'em/'  warned  Susan,  her  foot  on  her  own  sidewalk. 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  49 

"  The  pictures  ?  " 

"  No,  the  mumps." 

"  Oh,  I'm  not  afraid,  and  I  do  want  to  see  those 
pictures." 

"  Well,  if  gram'ma  scolds  you  mustn't  blame  me." 

Mrs.  Dunlap  came  and  kissed  Colinette  and  turned  her 
face  up  to  scrutinize  it  closely. 

"  Don't  look  a  bit  like  John,"  she  said.  "  He  was  so 
dark.  John's  little  girl!  Well,  well!  Have  you  had 
the  mumps?  " 

From  the  corner  of  the  sitting-room  Elmer  glared  out 
at  the  newcomer.  He  was  rather  formidable-looking 
with  his  hair  sticking  every  which  way,  his  chops  swollen 
unbecomingly  and  the  bandage  which  swathed  them 
sprouting  in  two  horns  at  the  top  of  his  head.  They 
might  well  have  been  horns  if  acting  in  a  wholly  satanic 
manner  would  cause  the  growth  of  such  excrescences,  for 
when  Elmer  suffered  he  saw  to  it  that  the  Dunlap  family 
suffered  with  him.  His  hatred  for  life  and  its  attendant 
maladies,  especially  the  mumps,  was  apparent  in  his  ex- 
pression. His  stepmother  had  been  having  a  trying 
morning. 

"  I  didn't  suppose  mother  would  want  you  to  come  in 
here  on  account  of  Elmer's  being  sick." 

"  I  think  I  have  had  the  mumps,"  said  Colinette,  "  so 
I'm  not  afraid.  Susan  and  I  are  going  upstairs  to  see 
something  of  hers  — " 

"  Ah,  ha,  ha,  ha!  "  bleated  the  invalid  so  suddenly  that 
Colinette  was  afraid  he  was  going  out  of  his  mind. 

"  Oh,  well,  if  you've  had  the  mumps  you  are  perfectly 
safe  and  may  come  and  shake  hands  with  Elmer,"  said 


So  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

Mrs.  Dunlap.     "  Elmer,  this  is  your  new  cousin,  Coli- 
nette." 

The  greeting  did  not  take  place,  however ;  Elmer  not  of- 
fering his  hand  to  be  shaken,  and  Colinette  feeling  that 
she  could  get  along  very  well  without  it.  At  times  her 
imperturbable  seriousness  took  on  an  air  of  vacuity,  dis- 
concerting to  the  one  she  fixed  her  gaze  upon,  and  mis- 
leading as  to  her  own  quickness  of  intellect.  Her  vague 
stare  gave  the  impression  of  utter  emptiness  gazing  at 
nothing.     It  did  so  now. 

M  She  ain't  my  cousin,"  growled  Elmer,  believing  that 
to  be  the  most  efficacious  way  of  making  his  stepmother 
cringe ;  "  no  relation  to  us  Dunlaps  a-tall !  " 

Colinette's  gaze  spoke  of  almost  entire  lack  of  interest 
other  than  a  mild  curiosity.  She  would  have  looked  that 
way  if  she  had  been  contemplating  some  stuffed  specimen 
in  a  museum;  a  specimen  more  remarkable  for  peculiar- 
ity than  for  beauty.  Her  mouth  dropped  open  slightly; 
her  eyelids  drooped  in  her  vague  bewilderment,  her  very 
flaccid  interest.  Elmer  could  not  have  told  the  reason 
but  her  expression  maddened  him.  Susan  went  upstairs 
and  Colinette  followed,  with  the  air  of  moving  on  to  the 
next  exhibit  in  the  hope  of  finding  something  more  at- 
tractive. 

Before  she  had  reached  Susan  that  young  person  gave 
a  cry  of  anger  —  almost  of  despair.  Colinette  found 
her  in  a  litter  of  doll  clothes,  holding  a  defaced  and  dam- 
aged doll  in  front  of  her  with  an  air  wholly  tragic.  It 
was  a  jointed,  all- wood  doll  which  once  must  have  been 
very  pretty.  Now  it  was  a  ludicrous  object.  It  had  been 
successfully  scalped,  and  around  its  eyes  some  one  had 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  51 

gouged  the  paint  in  circles  to  imitate  a  pair  of  enormous 
spectacles. 

Susan  tumbled  into  the  middle  of  her  bed  and  wailed 
in  sorrow,  while  Colinette  held  the  doll  in  a  bewildered 
manner. 

"  Was  it  —  yours  ?  "  she  inquired  gently. 

"  Yes,  it  was !  And  it  was  pretty !  Gram'ma  gave  it 
to  me  one  Christmas  a  long  time  ago,  and  I  —  I  loved  it ! 
I've  kept  it  always  and  made  clothes  for  it  —  such  cun- 
ning little  dresses  and  things  —  and  I  meant  to  keep  it 
always,  I  don't  care  what  anybody  says!  Oh  dear,  oh 
dear !  It  was  just  fun  to  make  dresses  for  a  pretty  little 
thing  like  that.  He's  done  it,  the  low-lived,  miserable  — " 
She  buried  her  face  again  and  gave  way  to  grief. 

Colinette  picked  up  a  dishevelled  wig  and  attempted  to 
replace  it.  "  Don't  cry,  Susan,"  she  soothed,  "  I  can  fix 
this  doll  so  that  it  will  be  pretty  again  —  sometime. 
Don't  cry." 

"  No,  you  can't ;  and  why  should  you  ?  I'm  too  old  to 
care  for  dolls  any  more  anyway.  Everybody  says  I  am. 
They  say  I  ought  to  be  ashamed." 

"  I  am  not,"  said  Colinette. 

Susan  sat  up  and  stared  at  Colinette.  "  Do  you  like 
dolls?" 

"  I  never  had  one  in  my  life,  but  I  think  I  should  have 
liked  this  one  if  I  had  seen  her  when  she  was  pretty." 

Susan  sobbed.  "  See,  she  can  stand  up  and  sit  down 
and  —  everything.  And  all  the  little  things  that  I  made 
for  her  —  oh,  dear !  " 

"  What  makes  you  let  your  brothers  come  into  your 
room  ?  " 


52  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

"  They  have  to  come  back  and  forth  through  this  room 
every  time  they  go  to  their  own.  Ain't  it  horrid !  You 
see,  the  room  beyond  this  one  has  a  nice  south  window 
and  is  light  and  kind  of  big  and  roomy.  Elmer  liked  it 
best  and  pa  said  the  boys  ought  to  have  the  big  room  any- 
way because  there  were  two  of  them  and  only  one  of  me 
and  so  I  had  to  take  this  little  dark  den,  which  is  nothing 
but  a  hall  anyway  with  the  stairs  coming  up  in  the 
center." 

"  And  they  meddle  with  your  things  and  destroy 
them?" 

"  Well,  not  my  real  things,  of  course,  my  clothes  or 
such,  but  poor  little  Rosey  —  everybody  says  I  no  busi- 
ness to  keep  a  doll  now  that  I'm  grown  up.  Pa  says  so, 
and  Aunt  Rinthy  makes  fun  of  me,  and  Elmer  knows  that 
I  won't  kick  about  what  happens  to  her  —  not  before 
folks  and  so  he  takes  delight  in  destroying  her.  See? 
He  has  been  through  all  my  things  here  this  morning 
while  I  was  gone." 

"  This  the  boys'  room  ?  "  Colinette  had  stepped  into 
the  larger  room. 

"  Yes." 

"  What  are  those  things  on  the  shelf  ?  " 

Susan's  indignation  broke  forth  again. 

"  Banks !  Baby-boy  banks !  that's  what  they  are ! 
This  is  Rob's  and  this  is  Elmer's.  They  laugh  at  me  and 
poke  fun  and  call  me  baby  for  loving  the  doll  that 
gram'ma  gave  me,  but  they  keep  those  horrid-looking 
things  and  think  they're  smart.  They  put  all  their  money 
in  there.     Rob  saves  his,  but  Elmer  spends  a  good  deal  of 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  53 

his.  But  he  has  a  lot  left  always.  See  how  heavy  his 
bank  is."  Susan  took  Elmer's  bank  from  the  shelf,  and 
Colinette  took  it  from  her  and  balanced  it  in  her  own 
hand.     Susan  was  right;  it  was  quite  heavy. 


It  was  nearly  a  week  later  that  the  great  robbery  on 
upper  Brown  Street  occurred.  Mrs.  Gard  and  Colinette 
were  at  breakfast  when  hurrying  feet  struck  their  little 
shaky  front  porch  and  imperative  knuckles  demanded  ad- 
mittance. It  was  Rob  Dunlap,  his  blond  hair  blown 
about  in  the  wind,  his  blue  eyes  popping  with  excite- 
ment. 

"  Our  house  is  bust  into  an'  we've  been  robbed ! "  he 
shouted.     "  I'm  goin'  on  up  to  tell  Uncle  Waldo's  folks !  " 

Mrs.  Gard  hurried  in  to  get  some  of  the  particulars, 
but  Rob  was  already  far  up  the  street  on  his  way  to  the 
Pickens'  place.  Mrs.  Gard  and  Colinette  hurried  across 
the  road  to  ascertain  the  extent  of  the  loss. 

The  Klatzes  from  next  door  were  already  there  and 
the  Dunlap  house  was  in  an  uproar.  Villie  Klatz,  who 
worked  for  Waldo  Pickens,  came  racing  down  presently, 
followed  soon  after  by  Waldo  Pickens,  Rinthy  and  Helen. 
Rob  meanwhile  rushed  down  the  hill  to  notify  Plummer's 
folks. 

"  They  must  have  got  in  through  the  pantry  window," 
explained  Luther  Dunlap  for  the  third  time,  "  for  I 
locked  the  kitchen  door  myself  last  night  before  I  went 
to  bed." 

"  Well,  if  that  wouldn't  beat  you! "  ejaculated  Waldo 

54 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  55 

Pickens.     "  When   did   you   find   out  that  you'd   been 
robbed?" 

Rob  missed  a  tin  bank  of  his  that  always  stands  on 
a  shelf  upstairs  in  his  room.  Then  Elmer  took  a  look  for 
his  bank  an',  lo  and  behold,  that  was  gone,  too.  They 
come  a  ravin'  downstairs  hollerin'  at  Susan  and  my  wife 
to  know  what  they  had  done  with  the  banks,  and  then 
I  took  a  look  around  the  room  and  I  could  see  right  off 
that  somebody  had  been  in.  Things  were  scuffed  around 
here  and  there  as  if  somebody  had  been  huntin'  'em 
over.  That  dish  cupboard  over  there  stood  wide  open, 
and  there  was  dusty  tracks  on  the  carpet." 

"  Dusty  tracks  ain't  any  sign  in  your  house,  Luther," 
tittered  Rinthy  Pickens.  "  You  and  the  boys  are  pretty 
good  at  makin'  dusty  tracks  yourselves.  Ain't  that  so, 
Susan?" 

"  Yes,  but  wait,"  went  on  Luther,  impressively,  then 
paused,  for  Rob  had  brought  Mr.  Plummer  and  Jeff. 
For  the  benefit  of  the  late  arrivals,  he  backed  up  in  his 
recital  as  far  as  the  dusty  tracks,  going  over  the  details 
from  that  point  even  more  minutely  than  before. 

At  sight  of  Jeff  Plummer  young  Susan  ran  away  into 
the  back  yard.  Because  of  the  excitement  she  was  not 
half  dressed;  had  not  even  combed  her  hair.  To  reach 
the  stairs  she  would  have  been  obliged  to  pass  through  the 
sitting  room  where  the  callers  were,  and  so,  although  she 
longed  to  stay  and  hear  her  stepfather  explain  every- 
thing over  again,  she  sought  refuge  in  the  back  yard. 
She  envied  Colinette  all  combed,  braided,  and  neat  as 
a  pin  in  her  new  calico  dress  and  little  white  apron,  put 
on  that  morning  for  the  first  time. 


56  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

None  of  the  Plummers  had  ever  been  in  the  Dunlap 
house  before,  Even  the  Pickenses  were  impressed  by 
the  presence  of  Mr.  Plummer  and  his  son.  Mr.  Plum- 
mer  was  a  commission  merchant.  He  bought  wheat,  live 
stock,  and  other  farm  products.  The  Plummer  ware- 
houses and  stockyards  were  an  important  feature  in  Red- 
moon  business  activities.  He  employed  a  stenographer, 
had  pale  fat  hands,  and  wore  a  seal  ring  on  his  little 
ringer. 

Luther  Dunlap  arrived  at  the  nub  of  his  story  and  pro- 
duced Exhibit  A.  It  consisted  of  Elmer's  rifled  bank. 
Exhibit  B  was  Rob's  safety  deposit  receptacle  intact. 

"  Both  of  'em  on  the  porch,"  went  on  Luther  Dunlap. 
"  Now  I'll  tell  you  how  Rob's  money  come  to  be  saved : 
About  three  o'clock  I  heard  a  noise,  and  I  jumped  out  of 
bed.  I  heard  a  scuttling  around  the  east  side  of  the 
house  and  then  I  heard  something  jingle  on  the  porch. 
I  yelled  '  who's  there  ?  '  and  then  somebody  ran  down 
the  front  walk  out  onto  the  sidewalk." 

"  Why,  Luther,  and  I  never  heard  you  at  all !  "  ex- 
claimed his  wife  contritely. 

"  No,  you  were  sleeping  like  a  stone  when  I  went  back 
to  bed,"  said  Dunlap  loftily. 

"  Well,  I've  been  broken  of  my  rest  so  much  of  late  — 
Elmer's  bein'  sick,"  began  Mrs.  Dunlap,  then  stopped, 
realizing  that  no  one  was  paying  the  least  attention  to  her 
or  caring  to  hear  of  her  broken  rest. 

"How  much  was  there  in  the  bank?"  inquired  Mr. 
Plummer  in  a  brusk,  business-like  tone  which  gave  the 
impression  of  impatience  that  he,  who  handled  large  sums 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  57 

of  money,  should  have  been  disturbed  because  the  Dun- 
lap  boy's  toy  bank  had  been  robbed. 

Elmer  did  not  know  exactly  how  much  money  there 
had  been  in  his  bank,  but  he  was  sure  it  had  been  some- 
thing over  five  dollars. 

"  There's  over  ten  in  mine,"  boasted  Rob. 

"  Oh,  my !  "  sneered  Jeff  Plummer,  "  what  are  you  go- 
ing to  do  with  so  much  money  ?  " 

"  I'm  goin'  to  buy  a  fiddle  with  it,"  said  Rob. 

"  Well,  I  just  guess  you  ain't,"  said  his  father.  "  It's 
goin'  toward  your  fall  suit.  You  wouldn't  have  had  it 
any  more'n  Elmer's  got  his  if  I  hadn't  jumped  out  of 
bed  and  yelled  '  Who's  there  ? '  You  see  the  feller  was 
out  there  on  the  porch  pryin'  the  banks  open  when  I 
heard  him — " 

"  Let's  see  the  bank,"  said  Plummer.  He  took  the  bat- 
tered thing  and  turned  it  over  with  a  critical  eye.  His 
hands  looked  whiter  and  fatter  than  usual  and  the  gold 
in  the  setting  of  his  seal  ring  shone  obtrusively.  "  This 
wasn't  pried  open,"  he  announced,  "  this  was  hacked  to 
pieces  with  an  axe.  It  wasn't  split  with  one  blow,  either ; 
the  fellow  who  opened  this  bank  hacked  at  it  for  some 
time  before  he  got  what  he  was  after.  I  should  have 
thought  some  one  would  have  heard  the  blows  if  they 
were  delivered  on  your  porch." 

"  He  must  have  laid  it  out  on  the  sod,"  said  Luther. 

Plummer  turned  the  bank  over  again  and  examined  all 
sides  carefully.  "  No,  he  had  it  on  some  hard  surface. 
See?  It  is  burnished  here  in  spots  where  it  came  in 
contact  with  some  hard  substance,  like  a  plank,  when  the 


58  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

blows  fell.  But  there  is  no  soil  or  grass  on  it."  He  put 
it  down  on  the  sitting-room  table  and  brushed  off  the 
tips  of  his  fat  ringers  daintily.  Elmer  gazed  at  his  ruined 
property  despairingly. 

Jeff  edged  around  to  Colinette  whom  he  greeted  with, 
"  Hello,  Poison  Ivy." 

"  Hello,"  responded  Colinette  as  if  she  had  answered 
to  that  name  all  her  life.  Helen  Pickens  coyly  insinu- 
ated herself  between  Jeff  and  Colinette. 

"  I  saw  you  at  the  ball  game  the  other  day,"  she  said 
and  smiled  at  him  sweetly. 

"  Did  you?  Well,  you  didn't  have  to  have  goggles  to 
see  me  with,  did  you?  " 

She  burst  into  laughter  wholly  out  of  proportion  to  the 
joke. 

"  Don't  anybody  have  to  have  glasses  to  see  you  at  a 
ball  game,  I  guess,  Jeff." 

Colinette  was  regarding  him  with  that  careless  gaze  of 
non-interest. 

"  Why  didn't  you  capture  the  robber ;  you're  so 
brave?  "  Jeff  demanded  of  her,  ignoring  Helen. 

"  I  am  only  a  little  girl.  It  takes  big  brave  men  — 
like  you  —  to  capture  robbers." 

"  Awh,  does  it!  "  sneered  Jeff,  and  could  not,  for  the 
life  of  him,  think  of  anything  else  to  say. 

"  I  toght  I  herdt  somebodty  browling  aboudt,"  testi- 
fied Mrs.  Klatz,  and  they  all  went  out  into  the  back  yard 
where  they  saw  nothing  mysterious  except  a  calico  apron 
snapping  briskly  around  the  corner  as  Susan  once  more 
escaped  and  ran  through  the  sitting  room  and  upstairs 
to  comb  her  hair. 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  59 

"Well,"  said  Mr.  Plummet",  "I'll  send  Smithers  up. 
Come,  Jeff."     Smithers  was  the  sheriff. 

In  due  time  Smithers  arrived.  He  asked  imprudent 
questions  as  to  hired  help,  neighbors,  members  of  the 
family;  he  fixed  Elmer  with  a  baleful  eye,  inquiring  very 
minutely  as  to  where  he  had  been  the  day  before,  how 
much  money  he  had  had  in  the  toy  bank  and  what  he  had 
intended  to  do  with  it.  Before  he  went,  the  reporter  of 
the  Redmoon  Times  came  to  get  particulars  of  the 
burglary.     Mr.  Plummer  had  notified  him  of  the  event. 

One  of  the  greatest  bits  of  injustice  connected  with  the 
affair  occurred  when  Luther  Dunlap  made  John  open 
his  bank  and  divide  evenly  with  Elmer. 

"  Just  because  your  bank  come  back  whole  and  Elmer's 
comes  back  busted  is  no  reason  why  you  shouldn't  give 
him  half.  It  might  have  been  your  bank  instead  of  his 
that  was  rifled." 

"If  it  had  been  you  wouldn't  have  made  Elmer  divvy 
up  with  me,  an'  you  know  you  wouldn't !  "  whined  Rob. 

"  That  don't  make  no  difference,"  said  his  father;  and 
so  the  unjust  arrangement  was  carried  into  effect. 

Mrs.  Gard  locked  the  house  doors  and  windows  very 
carefully  that  night. 

"  Don't  want  any  thieves  in  here,"  she  told  her  grand- 
daughter cheerfully. 

"If  you  had  that  thief  right  here  in  this  room,  what 
would  you  do  with  him,  grandmother?"  asked  Colinette. 
"  Would  you  hand  him  over  to  Mr.  Smithers  to  take  to 
jail?" 

Mrs.  Gard  reflected. 

"  I'd  pray  for  him  first." 


60  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

"Why?" 

"  Because  I'd  feel  awful  sorry  for  him." 

"Why?" 

"  Don't  you  know,  child,  that  of  all  folks  in  the  world 
a  thief  is  most  to  be  pitied?  Of  all  folks  in  the  world 
except,  perhaps,  a  liar.  But  one  is  apt  to  be  'tother;  a 
thief  is  naturally  a  liar  and  a  liar  often  turns  into  a  thief, 
and  neither  one  is  ever  happy.     They're  to  be  pitied." 

"  Because  they  are  afraid  of  getting  caught?  " 

"  Not  so  much  that  as  something  inside  of  'em ;  they 
never  feel  satisfied  with  themselves." 

"  Never,  grandmother  ?  " 

"Well,  if  they  do  it's  a  pretty  bad  symptom;  a  sinner 
who  is  satisfied  with  himself  is  in  a  bad  way.  He  needs 
the  prayers  of  Christian  people  to  wake  him  up  to  where 
he  stands.  We  will  kneel  right  down  here  —  you  an'  me, 
Colinette  —  before  we  go  to  bed,  and  send  up  a  little 
prayer  for  that  poor  uneasy  thief  wherever  he  is.  If  he 
ain't  uneasy,  we'll  pray  that  the  Lord  make  him  uneasy  — 
now,  before  he  goes  any  further  in  his  evil  ways." 

The  two  knelt,  side  by  side  in  the  parlor  and  Susan 
Gard  prayed  fervently  for  the  misguided  soul  who  was 
going  about  a  peaceful  little  town  causing  trouble  and 
loss  in  order  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  the  labor  of  others. 
After  the  prayer  she  waited  to  see  her  granddaughter  in 
bed,  all  slim  and  white  and  angel-like  in  her  little  new 
night-gown,  her  long  red-gold  braids,  newly  brushed  and 
plaited,  shimmering  on  the  pillow.  Then  she  kissed  her 
good  night  and  warned  her  not  to  be  afraid  of  burglars 
or  any  other  evil  thing,  because  she  was  God's  child  and 
in  His  keeping. 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  61 

Colinette  lay  listening  to  the  pleasant  bedtime  sounds 
of  her  grandmother's  preparations  for  rest;  the  rattle  of  a 
kitchen  chair  being  pushed  back  against  the  wall,  the 
grate  of  the  key  in  the  lock  of  the  back  door,  the  flashing 
out  of  the  last  glimmer  of  light,  the  complaint  of  a  faulty 
spring  in  her  grandmother's  bed.  In  the  silence  which 
followed  the  rustle  of  the  sweetpea  vines  against  the  post 
could  be  heard  distinctly,  also  the  barking  of  a  faraway 
dog,  and  the  puffing  and  slipping  and  trying  again  of  a 
freight  train  making  the  grade. 

For  a  long  twenty  minutes  Colinette  lay  waiting,  her 
senses  on  the  alert,  then  she  rose  and  went  silently  through 
the  parlor  and  kitchen  to  the  door  of  her  grandmother's 
bedroom  where  she  stood  a  long  time  listening  to  the 
regular  and  heavy  breathing  within.  When  fully  assured 
that  her  grandmother  was  fast  asleep  for  the  night,  she 
returned  to  her  own  room  and  dressed  and  unlocked  the 
front  door.  In  spite  of  the  greatest  caution,  the  lock 
clicked  as  it  shot  back.  Colinette  awaited  results,  her 
hand  on  the  door  knob.  Silence  reigned  over  all  the 
house.  She  opened  the  door  cautiously,  not  being  able 
to  remember  whether  or  not  it  creaked  in  opening.  It 
did  not,  and  she  closed  it  behind  her  successfully. 

For  one  keen  moment  she  waited  in  the  shadow  of  the 
porch  to  detect  any  sounds  of  footsteps,  either  coming  up 
or  going  down,  on  Brown  Street,  before  she  ventured 
forth.  There  were  none.  Not  many  persons  traveled 
through  this  part  of  the  town  at  this  hour  of  the  night. 
Once  on  the  sidewalk  she  fairly  flew  down  the  hill  to  the 
east,  crossed  the  side  street  like  a  shadow  and  disap- 
peared in  the  old  Pettingill  House,  not  by  way  of  the 


62  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

empty  kitchen  window  casing  as  before,  but  through  the 
big  front  door  which  now  opened  readily  to  her  hand. 

Mrs.  Gard  was  awakened  by  a  great  pounding  on  her 
front  door.  She  sprang  out  of  bed.  She  saw  at  once 
that  she  had  overslept  and  that  it  was  after  her  usual 
time  of  rising.  There  was  a  great  rivalry  between 
Colinette  and  herself  as  to  who  should  waken  first,  "  grate 
down  the  kitchen  stove "  and  start  the  breakfast  fire. 
For  the  last  three  mornings  Colinette  had  beaten  her,  and 
at  first  she  thought  the  noise  which  had  awakened  her 
was  the  "  grating  "  process.  But  it  was  her  daughter 
Susan  demanding  admittance. 

"What's  the  matter,  Susan?"  she  called  out  as  she 
scrambled  into  her  slippers  and  went  over  in  her  mind 
the  short  list  of  remaining  infectious  diseases  which  El- 
mer had  not  yet  developed,  "  Somebody  sick  ?  "  She 
had  the  door  open  by  this  time  and  Mrs.  Dunlap  had 
blown  in,  a  veritable  whirlwind  of  excitement. 

"  Funny  thing  has  happened  over  to  our  house,"  she 
began  breathlessly,  "  I  had  to  rush  over  and  tell  you.  I 
got  up  to  build  the  fire  and  I  found  this  on  the  steps." 
She  placed  the  paper  parcel  which,  she  had  brought  on 
the  parlor  table  and  opened  it  impressively.  It  con- 
tained silver  half  dollars,  quarters,  dimes  and  nickels. 

"  And  this  one  word  scrawled  on  the  outside  of  the 
package,"  said  Susan. 

"  Well,  my  goodness !  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Gard,  bending 
to  read  the  word  which  was,  "  Bank." 

"  It's  Elmer's  money  brought  back,"  said  Mrs.  Dunlap. 

Mrs.  Gard  went  in  and  shook  Colinette  who  was  sleep- 
ing soundly.     "  Wake  up,"  she  called  excitedly,  "  Wake 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  63 

up,  and  hear  the  news!  The  burglar  has  brought  back 
Elmer's  money!  " 

Colinette  rolled  over  and  met  her  grandmother's  agita- 
tion with  a  sleepy  babyish  smile. 

"  Have  you  grated  down  the  stove  and  built  the  fire?" 
she  asked. 

"  No,  your  Aunt  Susan  is  here  to  tell  us  about  the 
money." 

Colinette  uncoiled  herself,  sprang  out  of  bed  and  ran 
out  into  the  kitchen  to  forestall  her  grandmother  in  build- 
ing the  fire,  while  Susan  Dunlap  went  back  to  break  the 
good  tidings  to  her  own  family. 

After  breakfast  Colinette  and  her  grandmother  went 
across  the  road  to  assist  in  the  rejoicing.  They  found 
the  Dunlaps  in  a  turmoil.  Elmer  had  refused  to  refund 
the  half  of  the  contents  of  Rob's  bank  which  had  been 
bestowed  upon  him  to  soothe  his  sorrow  at  the  loss  of 
his  own  savings. 

"Now  I  want  this  jawin'  stopped!"  demanded  their 
father.  "  And  I  don't  want  another  word  said  about  this 
money  bein'  brought  back,  either.  I  don't  see,  Susan, 
what  made  you  canter  round  the  neighborhood  with  the 
news  even  before  you  had  told  your  own  folks." 

Susan  was  properly  humiliated.     "  I  just  told  ma." 

"  Yes,  and  she  an'  John's  girl  will  peddle  it  from  Dan 
to  Beersheba ! " 

"  We  shan't  peddle  anything  you  don't  want  peddled, 
Luther,"  replied  Mrs.  Gard  with  a  hurt  expression.  "  I 
don't  see,  though,  why  you  don't  want  it  told;  you  made 
an  awful  fuss  when  it  was  taken  —  called  in  all  the 
neighbors  — "       , 


64  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

"  That's  a  different  thing,"  said  Luther  loftily. 
"  When  I  was  robbed  I  called  in  my  neighbors  to  warn 
'em,  but  today  the  piece  about  the  robbery  is  goin'  to 
come  out  in  the  Times,  and  Elmer's  picture  and  all.  If 
they  git  wind  of  the  money's  bein'  brought  back  they 
won't  consider  it  a  robber  a-tall,  and  they  won't  print  the 
piece.  So  you  folks  just  shut  up  about  the  money's 
comin'  back  and  all  will  be  well." 

"  But  how  do  you  suppose  the  robber  came  to  repent 
and  bring  it  back?"  asked  his  wife. 

"  It's  plain  enough  why  he  brought  it  back,"  said  Mr. 
Dunlap,  pompously:  "he  was  afraid  I  had  recognized 
him  and  would  have  him  traced  down.  He  heard  me  call 
out,  *  Who's  there  ? '  and  he  didn't  know  but  I  had  seen 
him  and  knew  who  he  was,  and  so  he  just  naturally 
brought  the  money  back." 

"  Well,  it's  my  money,  every  bit  of  it,"  said  Elmer 
triumphantly,  "  and  Rob  ain't  going  to  have  a  penny — 
What  you  doin'  ?  "  he  demanded  suddenly  of  Colinette 
who  had  been  fussing  with  pencil  and  paper  as  she  sat 
by  the  table.  The  paper  was  that  in  which  the  silver 
had  come  home.  It  was  soiled  and  crumpled  but  when 
she  held  it  up  Rob  and  young  Susan  burst  into  wild 
laughter.  On  it  was  a  sketch  of  Elmer  taken  as  Coli- 
nette had  first  seen  him,  his  chops  swollen,  the  knotted 
bandage  sprouting  in  two  stiff  donkey  ears  above  his 
head.     It  was  labeled: 

Elmer  Dunlap's  Picture  in  the  Times. 
The  boy  who  made  money  by  losing  money. 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  65 

Elmer  tried  to  snatch  the  paper,  but  Rob,  who  was 
taller,  held  it  out  of  his  reach  until  his  father  commanded 
him  to  give  it  up.  Elmer  rent  it  in  pieces  as  soon  as  it 
was  in  his  hands,  glaring  at  Colinette  meanwhile.  It  was 
dreadful  to  have  a  girl  like  this  in  the  family  who  could 
do  such  things  and  who  dare  do  them !  He  had  heard 
Susan  say  that  there  was  only  one  thing  in  the  world 
that  Colinette  was  afraid  of.  He  meant  to  find  out  what 
that  one  thing  was.  If  it  was  snakes,  he'd  get  one  if  he 
had  to  buy  it  of  a  circus.  It  might  be  cats,  or  grass- 
hoppers or  niggers.  He  would  have  given  half  his 
newly-recovered  fortune  to  know  for  sure.  If  ever  he 
did  find  out  he  would  pay  her  back  good  and  plenty ! 


VI 

Rinthy  Pickens  came  down  to  her  brother's  one 
morning  to  borrow  the  Redmoon  Times.  The  Pickenses 
seldom  borrowed  of  the  Dunlaps ;  they  had  no  need  to  do 
so,  having  most  of  the  little  necessities  and  contrivances 
which  go  to  make  housekeeping  easy.  Susan  Dunlap, 
on  the  other  hand,  borrowed  a  great  deal  from  the 
Pickeneses ;  the  meat-chopper  when  she  would  make  hash ; 
the  roaster  on  occasions  other  than  holidays  when  Rin- 
thy was  apt  to  need  it  herself  (Rinthy  never  loaned 
things  needed  for  the  comfort  of  her  own  family)  ;  a 
bodkin  for  drawing  tape,  a  flatiron,  a  hammer,  or  a  hoe. 
Susan  was  only  too  glad  to  accommodate  Rinthy,  and 
bustled  about  to  find  the  wanted  paper.  When  at  last  it 
was  safely  tucked  under  Aunt  Rinthy's  arm  as  she  stood 
warming  the  doorknob  preparatory  to  her  departure, 
Susan  deftly  intimated  that  if  Rinthy  was  not  going  to 
use  her  quilting- frames  that  afternoon  she  would  be  glad 
of  them  as  she  had  a  comforter  to  tie  off. 

Rinthy  replied  that  she  should  not  be  using  them  that 
afternoon,  but  should  want  them  very  soon  —  tomorrow, 
or  next  day  at  the  latest.  Susan  thanked  her  and  said  the 
girls  would  be  right  up  after  the  frames,  because  although 
Elmer  had  recovered  from  his  illness  sufficiently  to  eat 
three  surprising  meals  a  day  with  occasional  lunches  in 
between,  he  was  not  well  enough  to  do  chores  or  run 
errands. 

66 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  67 

Young  Susan  was  delighted,  and  went  tripping  over  to 
her  grandmother's  to  ask  Colinette  to  help  her  bring  down 
the  frames  that  afternoon.  In  fact,  young  Susan  was 
reaching  a  point  where  she  was  happier  in  the  society  of 
her  new  cousin  than  in  that  of  any  one  else.  Aunt 
Rinthy  Pickens  did  not  approve  of  this  attitude. 

"  If  I  was  in  your  place,  Susan,"  she  said  to  her  sister- 
in-law,  "  I'd  put  a  stop  to  Susan's  running  after  John's 
girl  the  way  she  does,  and  bein'  bossed  around  by 
her." 

"  Oh,  Colinette  ain't  a  bit  bossy,"  protested  Mrs.  Dun- 
lap.     "  She's  as  quiet  as  a  little  mouse." 

"  But  Susan's  always  tagging  after  her.  And  she 
tries  to  hold  her  mouth  just  like  Colinette  holds  hers, 
and  to  look  at  you  in  that  far-off  imperdent  way  that 
Colinette  does,  as  if  you  was  the  dirt  under  her  feet.  It's 
an  awful  habit;  I  wouldn't  want  Helen  to  git  it.  Now 
for  instance,  you've  never  been  nicknamed  in  your  life 
and  your  mother  before  you  was  never  nicknamed  and 
your  girl  never  was  till  that  little  snippit  come  along  and 
calls  her  '  Sue  ' !  Now  everybody's  beginnin'  to  call  her 
Sue,  I  notice.  Even  Helen  did  the  other  day.  I  set  my 
foot  right  down.  Says  I,  '  She  was  baptized  Susan,  an' 
you  see  that  you  call  her  Susan.  Don't  you  go  to  fol- 
lerin'  off  after  John  Gard's  pauper  grandchild  as  the 
rest  of  the  family  are  doin',  like  a  flock  of  wooley  sheep 
after  their  leader." 

"  Oh,  I  don't  think  Colinette  tries  to  be  a  leader  or 
anything  like  that,"  protested  Mrs.  Dunlap.  "  She's  a 
real  nice  little  girl  and  so  quick  and  capable  —  why,  you've 
no  idea!     Ma  says  she  don't  see  how  she  ever  got  along 


68  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

without  her.  She  goes  down  town  on  errands,  splits  the 
kindling,  builds  the  fire,  washes  the  dishes  — " 

"  Well,  my  sakes !  don't  Helen  do  all  that  and  more 
too  ?  But  Susan  never  comes  near  our  house  any  more. 
She  used  to  run  up  now  and  then  to  talk  things  over  with 
Helen;  things  that  girls  are  interested  in,  music  and  so 
on  —  but  never  any  more." 

"Of  course  Susan  ain't  so  much  interested  in  music  as 
Helen  is.  She  ain't  had  Helen's  advantages,  and  not  hav- 
ing any  instrument  as  Helen  has  — " 

"  Well,  I  should  think  she'd  like  to  hear  Helen  play, 
and  talk  about  her  music  and  so  on.  What  is  so  much 
more  interesting  in  Colinette,  I'd  like  to  know?  What 
does  Colinette  talk  about  that's  so  much  more  interestin' 
than  what  Helen  talks  about  ?  " 

"  I  don't  see  myself.  Susan  does  seem  to  be  a  good 
deal  taken  with  Colinette.  But  I'm  sure  there  is  no 
harm  in  their  talk  whatever  it  is  about.  Ma  seems  to 
think  that  Colinette  is  just  about  all  right." 

"  Do  you  want  me  to  tell  you  something?  "  asked  Mrs. 
Pickens  with  her  most  impressive  smile.  "  Your  mother 
is  gittin'  to  be  downright  doty  where  that  youngone  is 
concerned.  She's  showin'  signs  of  second  childhood. 
Waldo  said  so  the  other  day.  Says  Waldo,  '  I  should 
think  Susan  Dunlap  would  be  pretty  disgusted  with  her 
mother  for  putting  John's  girl  plump  into  her  girl's  place.' 
Says  Waldo,  •  She's  fixin'  to  leave  what  property  she's  got 
to  John's  girl  instead  of  to  Susan's  girl  as  she  should 
leave  it'  " 

"  So  far  as  that  is  concerned,"  said  Susan  uneasily, 
"  ma  ain't  got  property  enough  all  told  to  quarrel  over  — 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  69 

just  that  little  old  house  and  lot  and  a  few  hundreds  out  at 
interest  for  a  rainy  day.  And  besides,  my  mother  is  a 
strong,  healthy  woman;  she  may  outlive  both  the  girls, 
you  can't  tell.  Anyhow,  she's  got  years  and  years  ahead 
of  her  yet,  I  hope."  Susan  paused,  and  then  added  with 
an  apologetic  smile,  "  Ma  says  that  Waldo  is  always  pre- 
paring for  her  funeral,  and  that  she  don't  feel  to  need  any 
such  preparations  yet  a  spell." 

Rinthy  Pickens  jerked  her  head  and  smiled  in  a  way 
she  had  when  she  was  not  pleased. 

"  I  guess  Susan  Gard  will  find  out  that  years  is  years, 
whether  she  wants  to  live  or  not.  And,  anyhow,  you've 
got  a  tamer  disposition  than  I  have  if  you  can  just  set 
and  see  John's  girl  eat  your  mother  up,  soles,  heels, 
breastpin  an'  backcomb!  And  Susan,  too.  Far  as 
Helen's  concerned,  I  ain't  goin'  to  have  her  playin'  sheep 
to  John's  girl,  nor  forty  John's  girls!  Of  course  if  you'd 
ruther  your  mother  would  spend  what  little  she's  got  on 
John's  girl  than  on  yours  where  it  belongs,  why,  of  course, 
I  ain't  got  a  word  to  say.  There's  something  else  I  can't 
understand,  now,  while  we're  talkin'  things  over.  I 
thought  your  mother  said  that  John's  wife  wrote  that 
the  youngone  was  rickety." 

"  She  did." 

"  Well,  now,  that  there  youngone  ain't  what  I  call  rick- 
ety. I  never  see  a  straighter  back  or  quicker  legs  in  my 
life." 

"  That's  what  ma  says,"  admitted  Susan,  "  and  she's 
tickled  to  death  over  it.  She  says  it  is  because  she  didn't 
have  the  right  sort  of  food  and  exercise  before  she  came 
here.     She  says  the  only  trouble  is  to  keep  Colinette  from 


7o  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

overdoin'.  She  says  she  never  did  see  such  an  energetic 
little  body  in  her  life;  she  just  wants  to  do  an'  do.  Only 
thing  she  can't  do  is  to  sew.  She  never  touches  a  needle. 
But  she  takes  a  lead  pencil  and  draws  the  most  comical 
pictures — "  Susan  stopped  to  chuckle  over  the  remem- 
brance — "  she's  got  Elmer  plain  buffaloed  that  way ; 
drawin'  him  in  different  positions." 

"Buffaloed,  what  do  you  mean  by  buffaloed?" 

"  Well,  that's  an  expression  that  Rob  uses ;  it  means 
sort  of  beat." 

Rinthy  Pickens  was  highly  displeased.  "  Well,  now, 
if  I  was  Luther  I  bet  I  wouldn't  stand  for  that." 

"  There  ain't  any  harm  in  it  as  I  know  of,  and  she 
never  does  it  unless  Elmer  is  sort  of  —  overbearing  to 
Sue  —  I  mean,  Susan.  Elmer  is  apt  to  be  a  little  hector- 
ing; you  know  that  yourself,  Rinthy.  You've  said  your- 
self that  you  didn't  want  him  around  your  place  because 
he's  so  mean  and  hectoring  to  Helen.  Now  didn't  you 
say  that,  Rinthy?  Well,  he's  the  same  only  more  so  to 
Colinette  and  Sue  —  I  mean,  Susan,  so  Colinette  has 
thought  up  a  way  to  get  even  — "  Mrs.  Dunlap  stopped 
and  giggled  reminiscently.  "  They're  awful  funny  pic- 
tures that  she  makes.  The  other  day  Elmer  got  roaring 
mad  at  some  little  fool  thing,  and  you  know  how  his 
eyes  bulge  out  and  his  hair  gits  tousled  when  he's  real 
good  and  mad.  Well,  with  about  three  strokes  of  her 
pencil  Colinette  drew  him  on  a  piece  of  smooth  board 
that  Luther  was  unwarping  behind  the  kitchen  stove  — 
honestly,  it  was  the  funniest  thing  you  ever  saw.  Sue 
and  I  just  had  to  duck  to  keep  from  snorting  right  out. 
Elmer  was  so  mad  he  split  the  board  up  and  shoved 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  71 

it  into  the  stove,  and  when  his  father  come  home  and 
found  his  board  destroyed,  why  he  was  mad." 

"  Nice  silly  business !  "  commented  Rinthy  Pickens, 
smiling  broadly.  "If  I'd  been  in  Luther's  place  I'd  a 
boxed  her  ears  till  they  rung." 

Susan  hastened  to  conciliate  Mrs.  Pickens. 

"  Yes,  she  hadn't  any  business  to  do  such  a  thing  as 
long  as  she  knows  how  touchy  Elmer  is.  And  now  since 
he  has  been  sick  he's  more  so  than  ever." 

If  Aunt  Rinthy  had  heard  the  conversation  between 
the  two  girls  on  their  way  to  her  house  after  the  quilt- 
ing frames  that  afternoon  she  would  have  felt  fully  justi- 
fied in  warning  her  sister-in-law  as  she  had  done. 

"  Now,"  said  Susan,  "  tell  me  the  secret  that  you  whis- 
pered that  you  had  to  tell  me  when  I  went  over  to  your 
house  this  morning." 

"  I  didn't  say  I  would  tell  you  the  secret ;  I  said  I  would 
show  you  a  secret." 

"What's  the  difference?" 

"  There  is  a  great  deal  of  difference." 

"  Tell  me  what  it  is." 

"  Not  here.  You  will  have  to  come  where  I  want  you 
to  come  before  I  can  show  it  to  you." 

"If  you  mean  to  tole  me  into  that  old  Pettingill  House, 
Colinette,  I  will  not  go !  " 

"  You  will  have  to  come  there  with  me  if  I  show  you 
the  secret." 

"  Well,  I  won't,  so  that  settles  it.  In  the  first  place,  I 
don't  think  it  is  honest  to  go  prowling  around  through 
other  folks'  houses." 


72  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

"  But  it's  so  —  so  fascinating ;  a  haunted  hotel,  where 
other  folks  daren't  go." 

"  It  may  be  to  you,  but  it  isn't  to  me.  I  hate  shud- 
dery  things." 

"  Then  you  shall  never  know  the  secret." 

"  I'll  bet  it  don't  amount  to  anything.  You  have  just 
cooked  it  up  to  tole  me  in  there.  You  ain't  afraid  to 
go  anywhere.  You  would  stand  right  in  front  of  the 
cars  and  let  'em  run  you  down.  But  I  don't  think  that 
sort  of  courage  is  anything  to  brag  of." 

"  Neither  do  I." 

"  Well,  do  you  think  it  is  anything  to  brag  of  not  to 
be  afraid  to  go  prowling  through  a  ratty,  old  tumble- 
down place  like  the  old  Pettingill  House?  " 

"  No,  and  I  have  never  bragged  of  it,  have  I?" 

"  No,  but  you  bragged  about  not  being  afraid  of  any- 
thing in  the  world  except  just  one  thing.  Now,  what  is 
that  one  thing,  Colinette?  Elmer  says  he  would  like  to 
find  out  what  that  one  thing  is ;  he  says  he'd  see  to  it  that 
you  got  a  plenty  of  it  whatever  it  is.  If  it  is  snakes  or 
gun-firing  or  tramps  or  whatever.  I  wish  you  would 
tell  me  what  it  is  that  you  are  afraid  of,  although  I'd 
never  tell  Elmer  —  you  may  bank  on  that." 

"  I  know  you  wouldn't,  Sue." 

"  Then  tell  me.  Just  out  of  curiosity,  I  would  cer- 
tainly like  to  know." 

"  I  will  tell  you  down  in  the  Pettingill  House,  and  no- 
where else! " 

"  Then  I  shall  never  know,"  snapped  Susan,  "  for  I  tell 
you  right  now,  you  shall  never  coax  me  into  Pettingill's 
—  not  ever.     I'm  too  big  a  coward  to  go  into  that  spooky 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  73 

old  place  and  I'm  honest  enough  to  own  it.  Besides  there 
isn't  any  sense  in  my  going  in  there,  and  there  isn't  any 
sense  in  your  going  in  there,  so  now!  Ma  says  I  let 
you  lead  me  round  as  if  you  had  a  halter  on  my  neck, 
but  I  guess  if  she  knew  about  this  Pettingill  matter  she 
would  change  her  mind." 

Colinette  said  nothing.  They  were  in  sight  of  the 
Pickens  residence  now  and  instinctively  Susan  slackened 
her  pace,  hoping  to  gain  her  point  about  the  secret.  How 
exasperating  Colinette  could  be! 

"  I  don't  believe  the  secret  amounts  to  anything  any- 
how. Does  it  now  ?  Own  up,  Colinette,  that  there  isn't 
any  secret  at  all,  and  that  you  just  made  believe  there  was 
to  tole  me  into  that  old  ghost  house.  Does  it  now? 
Does  it  really  amount  to  a  single  thing  ?  " 

"  It's  the  most  perfectly  lovely  secret  I  ever  knew  of 
in  all  my  life,"  breathed  Colinette  softly. 

"  Then  I  think  you're  as  mean  as  you  can  be  not  to 
tell  it  to  me  whether  I  go  into  the  Pettingill  House  with 
you  or  not !  "  stormed  Susan. 

"  I  never  will,"  said  Colinette,  still  softly,  and  Susan 
was  really  awed  because  she  knew  this  decision  to  be 
final,  and  that  unless  she  yielded  to  her  cousin's  wish  she 
should  be  obliged  to  walk  her  dreary  path  through  life  in 
utter  ignorance  of  "  the  loveliest  secret  on  earth." 

"  I've  got  a  secret  too,"  she  declared  with  a  pout. 

Colinette  said  nothing. 

"  Don't  you  care  to  hear  my  secret  ?  " 

"  I  know  it  already,"  said  Colinette. 

Susan  was  startled.     "  You  do  not  know  it." 

"  Yes,  I  do." 


74  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

"Did  Elmer  tell  you?" 

Colinette  shook  her  head. 

"  Suppose  I  should  say  that  I  wouldn't  tell  you  my 
secret  unless  you  went  up  to  the  top  of  Uncle  Luther's 
windmill  out  yonder  and  hung  from  the  platform  by  your 
toes,  head  downwards  ?  " 

"  If  I  didn't  already  know  the  secret  perhaps  I  might 
doit." 

"  I'll  bet  you  would,  Colinette  Gard  —  I  just  bet  you 
would  —  right  before  everybody!  You're  an  awful 
girl." 

Colinette  sighed.  There  seemed  nothing  to  be  said, 
and  if  there  had  been  there  would  have  been  no  time  in 
which  to  say  it,  for  they  had  already  passed  the  Pickens 
place. 

One  always  passed  the  Pickens  place  before  entering. 
Immediately  in  front  of  the  house  was  an  ornamental 
fence  and  a  gate  from  which  a  path  led  up  to  a  seldom- 
used  front  door.  Just  beyond  the  house,  fence,  and  gate 
the  farm  gate  stood  open  always  and  through  this  you 
found  your  way  through  the  west  shed-room  directly 
into  the  living  room.  The  Pickens  farm  lay  broad  and 
smiling  to  the  west,  the  house  being  the  last  on  upper 
Brown  Street.  The  living  room  was  large  and  bare  with 
an  air  of  salt  pork,  potatoes  boiled  with  their  skins  on, 
and  hired  men  eating  hurriedly  with  their  knives  from  an 
oilcloth-covered  table. 

The  parlor  was  different.  Here  Waldo  Pickens  had 
given  his  wife  free  rein,  and  as  Rinthy  had  looked  into 
other  parlors  she  felt  competent  to  assume  the  task  of 
furnishing  it  correctly.     She  had  never  been  in  the  Brack- 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  75 

ley  parlor  but  she  knew  there  was  a  piano  because  one 
could  see  that  from  the  street.  Mrs.  Brackley  was,  of 
course,  the  last  word  in  the  matter  of  house  furnishing 
and  style  and  culture.  Mrs.  Plummer  patterned  her  par- 
lor after  the  Calkins'  parlor,  which  was  a  frank  copy  of 
the  Brackley  parlor.  This  brought  the  Brackley  scheme 
of  furnishing  well  within  the  reach  of  the  best  above-the- 
railroad  families  who  followed  suit  in  so  far  as  they 
deemed  the  Brackley  inventory  desirable.  As  to  books, 
portfolios  of  music  lying  around  on  chairs,  unframed  oil 
pictures,  pet  cats,  dogs,  tennis  racquets,  golf  bags,  leather 
driving  coats,  and  the  eternal  clutter  of  vases  and  bowls 
filled  with  weeds  and  flowers,  as  reported  of  Alice  Brack- 
ley's  domain,  these  were  not  to  be  tolerated  by  any  tidy 
housewife  who  did  her  own  work.  It  was  all  right  for 
Mrs.  Brackley  who  had  two  hired  girls  and  a  man  about 
the  place  to  wait  on  her.  Therefore,  Rinthy  Pickens  used 
her  own  judgment  in  the  matter  of  furnishing,  and  she 
often  asserted  that,  if  she  did  say  it  herself,  she  believed 
her  parlor  was  as  well  furnished  as  any  in  town. 

The  center  of  Rinthy' s  parlor  was  covered  by  a  sad- 
colored  rug  in  the  center  of  which  stood  a  "  li'bry  "  table 
with  a  shelf  underneath  and  a  "  runner  "  crossing  it  the 
short  way.  The  wall  and  woodwork  were  all  of  a  deathly 
whiteness  against  which  in  harsh  contrast  gleamed  Helen's 
ebony  piano.  Helen  did  her  practicing  in  the  summer 
time  as  there  had  never  been  a  fire  lighted  in  the  parlor. 
Rinthy  said  Helen  could  learn  all  there  was  to  learn  about 
music  in  the  summer  time  without  mussing  up  the  best 
room  with  a  fire.  Enlarged  photographs  of  Waldo 
Pickens,  Rinthy  herself,  and  Helen  in  different  stages  of 


76  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

her  development,  adorned  the  walls,  together  with  small 
photographs  of  the  same  subjects,  the  Dunlap  boys  and 
some  Kansas  cousins  on  the  top  of  the  piano.  Rinthy 
dreamed  of  some  day  having  a  real  dining-room  like  the 
Plummers',  with  a  monumental  sideboard,  dining-table 
with  dropsical  legs,  and  a  large  painting  of  dead  ducks  or 
fish  in  a  basket  almost  covering  one  side  wall,  but  as  long 
as  they  farmed  two  hundred  acres  and  were  obliged  to 
have  great  clumpy  hired  men  with  number  ten  workshoes 
underneath  the  table  and  blue  jean  elbows  above,  why, 
a  dining-room  with  any  style  to  it  was  wholly  out  of  the 
question. 

"  The  frames  are  in  the  barn,"  said  Mrs.  Pickens. 
"  Willie  Klatz  will  get  'em  down  for  you.  You  run  out 
and  ask  him  while  Susan  comes  in.  I  want  her  to  hear 
Helen's  new  piece,  '  The  Coming  of  Spring.'  It's  per- 
fectly beautiful." 

"  We'll  both  go  to  the  barn  for  the  frames  and  then 
come  in  to  hear  the  piece  afterwards,"  said  Susan. 
"  Colinette  likes  music  almost  better  than  I  do." 

"  Villie  "  Klatz  was  delighted  to  get  the  quilting  frames 
out  of  the  barn  loft  for  Susan  Dunlap,  whom  he  admired 
more  every  day. 

"  That  little  Coronet  girl  of  old  Mis'  Gard's  was  aw- 
ful pretty,  too,"  he  reflected  as  he  brought  out  the  frames. 
Villie  was  seventeen,  an  age  when  a  boy  adores  girls  but 
is  deathly  afraid  of  them.  Villie  had  good  reason  to  be 
afraid  of  girls,  who  usually  poked  fun  at  him. 

"If  you  don't  need  'em  till  night,  I'll  fetch  'em,"  he 
promised. 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  77 

"  And  while  you  bring  us  the  quilting  frames  who'll 
do  the  milking?  "  asked  Susan. 

"  Ho,  I  come  after  that,"  said  Villie,  "  or  before.  It 
don't  take  so  long  to  run  four  quiltin'  sticks  down  to 
Dunlap's  yet." 

And  so  it  happened  that  after  hearing  "  The  Coming 
of  Spring,"  the  girls  took  their  departure  untrammeled 
by  quilting  frames. 

"  That  was  a  cold  backward  spring,"  remarked  Coli- 
nette,  as  they  passed  out  of  the  Pickens'  gate. 

Susan  giggled.  "  You  are  the  funniest  girl,  Colinette. 
I  wonder  every  day  how  you  will  get  along  at  our 
school.  You're  so  sort  of  —  different  and  so  good  look- 
ing I  shouldn't  wonder  if  you  got  an  invitation  to  join 
the  Morning  Glories." 

"The  Morning  Glories?     What  is  that?" 

"  The  Morning  Glory  Club.  Nobody  belongs  but 
the  swells  —  the  very  swellest  of  the  swells,  you  might 
say ;  Gertie  Calkins,  Lila  Merton  and  Lizzie  Smith." 

"  Does  your  Cousin  Helen  belong  ?  " 

"  No,  Helen  would  give  everything  she  owns  to  be  a 
Morning  Glory,  but  she  never  will  be.  No  girl  who  lives 
above  the  railroad  has  ever  been  asked  to  join.  My,  but 
Helen  would  be  jealous  if  you  should  get  into  the  M. 
G.  C.  But  you  won't.  No,  Gram'ma  Gard's  poor  — 
no,  you  haven't  a  chance  in  a  thousand  even  if  you  are 
pretty,  and  —  well,  sometimes  witty." 

"  I  don't  think  I  would  join  if  they  should  ask  me." 

Susan  chortled  in  derision.  "  Yes,  I'd  laugh !  You'd 
join  if  you  had  a  chance,  but  you  won't  get  the  chance, 
so  you  can  rest  easy." 


78  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

"  Why  don't  we  start  a  club  of  our  own  —  we  folks 
above  the  railroad?  " 

Susan  curled  a  scornful  lip.     "  Who'd  be  in  it  ?  " 

"  You  and  I  and  your  brothers  — " 

"  My  brothers  wouldn't  join,  and  if  they  did  they'd 
just  spoil  everything." 

"  There's  Helen  Pickens  and  Villie  Klatz  — " 

"Villie  Klatz!  Uncle  Waldo's  hired  man!  The  M. 
G.'s  would  laugh  themselves  to  death.  Why,  they 
wouldn't  ask  anything  better.  They  love  to  gather  in 
corners  and  poke  fun  at  the  cheap  scholars." 

"If  the  cheap  scholars  had  a  club  of  their  own  they 
could  stand  in  the  left-over  corners  and  laugh  at  the 
Morning  Glories." 

"  Much  the  Morning  Glories  would  care  about  that. 
It  would  be  like  the  mouse  laughing  at  the  cat.  The 
Morning  Glories  have  the  money;  they  can  dress  up  and 
look  pretty ;  they  can  go  to  dancing  school  and  are  lovely 
dancers.  Neal  Brackley  is  going  to  stay  in  Redmoon  and 
go  to  our  school  this  winter.  They'll  ask  him  to  join 
the  M.  C.'s  and  he  will,  of  course.  He's  the  swellest  boy 
in  town.  His  folks  are  rich  and  he  is  a  fine  musician  and 
a  lovely  dancer." 

"  Fine  dressing  and  good  dancing,  then,  is  what  gets 
you  into  the  Morning  Glory  Club  ?  " 

"  They  don't  just  put  it  that  way,"  admitted  Susan. 

"  But  they  don't  have  to  be  extra  good  nor  extra  smart 
nor  extra  brave?  " 

"  Why,  no,  of  course  not." 

"  Then  we'll  organize  our  club  on  those  lines.  To  be  a 
Morning  Glory  you  must  be  extra  rich,  extra  good  look- 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  79 

ing  and  extra  graceful;  to  belong  to  our  club  you  will 
have  to  be  extra  smart,  extra  brave,  and  extra  good." 

"  You  can't  do  it,  Colinette.  Extra  smart  would  cut 
out  Villie  and  Gusta  Klatz  and  Helen  Pickens;  extra 
brave  would  cut  out  Rob  Dunlap  and  me;  extra  good 
would  cut  out — "     She  paused,  and  Colinette  finished : 

"  Elmer  and  me.  But  at  least  it  would  be  something 
worth  working  for,  wouldn't  it  ?  " 

Susan  owned  that  it  would  if  it  were  possible,  but  she 
doubted. 

"  Turn  it  the  other  way  around,"  argued  Colinette. 
"You  think  I  am  extra  brave — " 

u  I  know  you  are.     Any  girl  that  dared  to  — " 

"  Very  well,  then ;  I'm  brave,  but  not  good  — " 

"  Oh,  Colinette,  you  know  I  was  joking  — " 

"It's  all  right,  Sue;  I'm  not  finding  fault.  Now,  you 
are  good,  but  not  brave,  and  none  of  us  is  the  least  bit 
smart.  Now  what  do  you  say  to  getting  up  a  club  to 
make  me  better,  and  you  braver,  and  all  of  us  smarter?  " 

Susan  laughed.  "  Well,  but  you  are  the  funniest  girl! 
Who  shall  you  ask  first?" 

"  You,  of  course.     You  and  I  will  be  the  first  — " 

"  Yes,  the  charter  members ;  that's  what  Lila  Merton 
and  Gertie  Calkins  are  in  the  Morning  Glories.  They 
started  the  thing  and  so  they  are  the  charter  members." 

"Yes,  that's  it  —  charter  members." 

"  You  will  be  the  president,  Colinette." 

"The  president?" 

"Why,  yes;  a' club  has  to  have  a  president.  Gertie 
Calkins  is  president  of  the  — " 

"But  you  see  that  is  why  I  don't  want  to  call  the 


80  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

head  of  our  club  the  president.     Suppose  we  say  leader." 
"  Oh,  that  won't  do ;  only  gangs  have  leaders." 
"  We'll  settle  that  when  we  organize,"  suggested  Coli- 
nette,  and  Susan  acquiesced. 

"  But  it  will  all  fall  through  anyway,"  Susan  added 
pessimistically.     "  You  won't  get  anybody  to  stick." 
"You'll  stick,  won't  you,  Sue?" 
"  Oh,   I'll  stick  fast  enough.     But  just  you  and  me 
won't  be  a  club." 

"  Yes,  we  will,  provided  you  follow  the  leader." 
"  I'll  follow  all  right." 
"  Then  we'll  meet  tomorrow  to  organize." 
"All  right.     Where,  at  gram'ma's,  or  at  our  house?" 
"  Sue,  you  know  there  isn't  an  inch  of  grandmother's 
house  where  one  can  say  a  word  that  won't  be  heard  in 
every  other  inch.     And  this  club  —  or  gang  —  must  be 
secret  —  oh,   to  be  very,   very   secret  will  be  half  the 
fun.     We  must  organize  in  a  very  secret  place." 

"  Of  course,"  agreed  Susan  again,  now  wholly  alive  to 
the  exciting  nature  of  the  plot,  "  of  course.  Where  shall 
it  be?" 

"  Tomorrow  night  at  the  Pettingill  Hotel." 
With  her  finger  in  her  ears  as  from  sheer  horror  at 
the  suggestion,  Susan  ran  up  the  walk  to  her  own  door, 
while  Colinette  paced  slowly  up  to  explain  the  absence 
of  the  quilting  frames  to  Mrs.  Gard  who  came  out  to  in- 
quire. 


VII 

Now  that  Colinette  had  gained  her  point  she  could 
hardly  wait  the  hour  for  the  secret  meeting.  She  had 
schemed  long  and  systematically  for  this  outcome;  just 
to  get  Susan  into  the  old  Pettingill  House  to  share  with 
her  the  "  lovely  secret "  which  was  too  good  to  keep  all 
to  herself.  The  idea  of  a  club  of  adventure  of  which  she 
would  be  the  head  interested  her  immensely.  For  this 
reason  it  seemed  almost  unbearable  to  have  Mrs.  Gard 
announce  that  while  she  and  Susan  had  been  gone  Sister 
Kize  had  been  up  to  ask  Mrs.  Gard  if  she  could  spare  Coli- 
nette the  next  day  to  stay  with  Mr  Kize's  mother  while 
she  and  her  husband  drove  over  to  Milltown  to  buy  a 
new  carpet.  Mrs.  Gard  would  have  enjoyed  going  her- 
self, but  there  was  that  crate  of  peaches  to  be  put  up,  and 
Susan's  comforter  to  be  tied  off,  and  tied  off  in  a  hurry, 
too,  if  Aunt  Rinthy  was  to  have  the  frames  back  the 
next  day.  It  was  noticeable  that  whenever  Susan  Dun- 
lap  borrowed  the  quilting  frames  Aunt  Rinthy  was  sure 
to  need  them  the  very  next  day.  Mrs.  Gard  had  prom- 
ised Mrs.  Kize  to  send  Colinette. 

"  You  will  have  a  real  good  time,"  Mrs.  Gard  assured 
her.  "  Gram'ma  Kize  is  a  very  interesting  talker.  She 
used  to  be  a  great  missionary  worker.  I  always  do  enjoy 
a  visit  with  Her  so  much.  She  can  tell  you  more  about 
missionaries  ■ —  how  many  there  are  in  Korea  and  India 

81 


82  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

and  other  outlandish  places,  than  anybody  I  ever  met. 
You'll  have  a  real  nice  visit,  Colinette." 

Colinette  swallowed  her  disappointment  and  said 
meekly,  "  Yes,  grandmother." 

During  the  evening  she  made  an  excuse  to  get  over  to 
the  Dunlaps'  place  to  notify  Susan.  She  found  Villie 
Klatz  there.  He  had  brought  down  the  quilting  frames 
and  was  staying  for  a  one-sided  chat  with  Susan.  El- 
mer was  present  and  Rob,  and  Colinette  saw  how  little 
chance  there  was  for  communicating  privately  with 
Susan.  She  decided  to  leave  a  note  which  would  con- 
vey the  fact  of  the  unavoidable  postponement  of  the  meet- 
ing, a  note  which  Susan  alone  would  understand.  She 
scribbled  such  a  message  on  the  margin  of  a  newspaper 
under  the  baleful  glare  of  Elmer's  mistrustful  eyes. 
When  Colinette  used  a  pencil  Elmer  looked  for  carica- 
tures. 

She  rolled  the  torn  scrap  into  a  ball  and  attempted  to 
toss  it  into  Susan's  lap.  It  fell  short,  and  Elmer  and 
Susan  both  lunged  for  it  where  it  rolled  on  the  floor. 
Elmer  secured  it  and  read  it  aloud  to  the  assembled  com- 
pany: 

"  The  secret  will  have  to  wait  until  the  next  day  after 
tomorrow.     Kize's." 

It  was  all  the  space  there  had  been  on  which  to  ex- 
plain. 

"  Ah,  ha,  miss ;  you're  up  to  some  mischief !  "  tri- 
umphed Elmer.  "Ma,  they're  up  to  some  mischief! 
Next  day  after  tomorrow!  I'll  bet  I'm  goin'  to  find  out 
what  your  old  secret  is!     I'll  find  out,  see  if  I  don't!  " 

Susan  made  a  wry  face. 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  83 

"  Girls  no  business  getting  up  secrets,"  declared  El- 
mer.    "  Girls  can't  keep  secrets,  anyway." 

At  Mrs.  Kize's  the  long  day  dragged  on  with  Colinette 
reading  missionary  reports  and  statistics  aloud  to  old 
Mrs.  Kize.  This  programme  was  varied  by  periods  of 
conversation  consisting  mostly  of  sharp  questions  by  old 
Mrs.  Kize  who  had  heard  that  Colinette's  mother  be- 
longed to  a  church  of  which  she,  Mrs.  Kize,  did  not  ap- 
prove, and  polite,  almost  diffident,  answers  on  Colinette's 
part. 

At  twelve  o'clock  the  two  ate  lunch  together.  Colinette 
brought  the  pale  butter  from  the  basement  and  it  was  so 
nice  and  hard  that  it  would  not  spread  on  the  pale  bread 
at  all.  At  home  Colinette  did  not  drink  tea,  but  she  felt 
justified  in  partaking  of  the  beverage  brewed  by  old  Mrs. 
Kize,  believing,  and  rightly,  that  it  would  not  affect  the 
nerves  of  a  baby.  At  six  they  sat  down  to  another  meal 
of  pale  bread  and  butter,  tea,  pale  yellow  cake  and  dried- 
apple  sauce,  after  which  Colinette  washed  up  the  supper 
things  nicely,  dreaming,  meanwhile,  of  daring  adventure 
in  deserted  houses,  mysterious  disclosures  and  rapturous 
surprises.  It  was  well  that  old  Mrs.  Kize  could  not  see 
into  the  brain  of  her  young  companion,  else  she  might 
have  concluded  that  missionary  work  was  needing  to  be 
done  in  her  own  kitchen.  But  she  saw  only  a  quiet  little 
girl  seriously  drying  coarse  blue  plates  and  really  getting 
them  into  their  rightful  places  in  the  cupboard.. 

As  they  were  finishing  the  dishes  "  Brother  and  Sister 
Kize "  arrived,  some  two  hours  earlier  than  had  been 
expected,  tired,  hungry,  but  in  triumphant  possession  of 
the  new  carpet.     They  gave  up  going  to  prayer-meeting 


84  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

and  greatly  to  her  satisfaction,  Colinette  was  started  off 
alone. 

It  was  quite  dark  in  the  center  of  the  blocks,  but  at 
every  corner  a  street  lamp  did  its  best  to  lighten  the 
gloom.  To  a  girl  who  is  not  afraid  of  the  dark,  or  of 
those  dire  things  which  sometimes  come  out  of  it,  the 
walk  was  much  more  enjoyable  than  it  would  have  been 
tucked  under  old  Mrs.  Kize's  arm  listening  to  a  final 
summing  up  of  Foreign  Missions  statistics. 

It  was  early  for  prayer-meeting,  and  Colinette  was  glad 
because  of  a  certain  enterprise  she  had  always  meant  to 
carry  out  at  her  earliest  opportunity.  She  wished  to  see 
the  inside  of  the  much-discussed  Brackley  house  —  just 
a  peep  to  satisfy  a  burning  curiosity.  Mrs.  Calkins  had 
told  Mrs.  Plummer,  and  Mrs.  Plummer  Mrs.  Rinthy 
Pickens  and  Susan  Dunlap,  and  Susan  Dunlap  had  told 
Colinette's  grandmother  that  the  rug  in  the  center  of  the 
Brackley  living-room  cost  three  thousand  dollars.  It  fol- 
lowed logically  that  the  rug  must  be  beautiful  —  daz- 
zlingly  beautiful.  Colinette  loved  beauty,  especially  the 
beauty  of  color.  She  resolved  to  give  herself  a  treat. 
She  would  feast  her  eyes  on  that  rug  for  the  space  of  five 
or  ten  minutes. 

The  Brackley  house  was  old,  but  of  the  type  which 
gathers  beauty  with  every  passing  year.  Through  the 
front  windows  to  the  east  of  the  entrance  came  an  un- 
certain leaping  light  as  from  an  open  fire;  the  dining 
room  windows  to  the  west  showed  the  bright  and  steady 
glare  of  electricity,  but  with  these  Colinette  had  nothing 
to  do;  she  had  never  heard  the  price  of  the  dining-room 
rug  mentioned. 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  85 

In  the  flame-lit  room  some  one  was  playing  the  piano. 
Colinette  did  not  know  the  name  of  the  selection  which 
was  being  played;  she  knew  only  that  the  sound  of  it  filled 
her  with  the  wild  spirit  of  adventure  and  the  recklessness 
which  leads  to  adventure.  She  flitted  around  the  corner 
and  mounted  the  broad  steps  which  led  to  the  wide  east- 
ern veranda.  From  this  point  of  vantage  she  had  an  un- 
obstructed view  of  the  Brackley  living-room  and  felt 
justified  in  the  risk  she  was  taking. 

Before  Colinette  had  entered  her  grandmother's  low 
door  for  the  first  time  she  had  never  seen  a  room  like  her 
grandmother's  parlor.  She  loved  it  because  it  was  her 
grandmother's;  but  she  knew,  without  Aunt  Rinthy 
Pickens's  sneering  remarks  about  it,  that  there  was  noth- 
ing really  artistic  in  it.  Neither  had  she  ever  seen  a  room 
like  this  Brackley  room,  save  in  wild  dreams.  Yes,  the 
rug  was  beautiful!  The  firelight  caught  certain  spots 
in  it  which  gleamed  forth  like  clusters  of  jewels,  burning 
bright  —  coral,  sapphire,  emerald ;  it  struck  out  accent 
points  of  gold  on  the  frame  of  the  painting  above  the 
piano,  and  under  its  deceiving  play  the  subject  of  the 
picture,  a  figure  in  white  collar  and  wrist  frills,  moved 
gently  against  a  dim  background. 

And  the  boy  at  the  piano !  He  was  a  handsome  boy ; 
but  it  was  not  the  beauty  of  the  face  as  it  bent  above  the 
flying  fingers,  but  rather  the  concentration  of  it  which 
fascinated  Colinette.  This  boy  was  doing  something 
wonderful ;  somethhing  he  loved  to  do ;  something  he  had 
worked  long  hours  to  be  able  to  do.  He  was  accomplish- 
ing something ;  he  was  absorbed  —  triumphant ;  a  dweller 
in  the  soul's  world  of  achievement  where  great  happiness 


86  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

is  to  be  found !  And  surrounded  by  all  this  beauty !  All 
these  glowing  and  changing  glints  of  brightness;  these 
dull,  deep,  pulsing  shadows —  Oh,  color,  color!  Coli- 
nette  clasped  her  hands  in  ecstasy.  And  sound  — 
music  —  the  mystery  of  it!  The  wild  sweet  madness 
of  it! 

She  pressed  so  close  to  the  pane  that  she  almost  touched 
it.  She  lost  all  sense  of  time  in  contemplation  of  that 
region  of  delight.  She  forgot  prayer-meeting,  and  her 
grandmother's  possible  anxiety.  She  gave  free  rein  to 
an  imagination  led  hither  and  yon  by  the  changing  mel- 
ody. She  was  rushing  across  a  plain  riding  a  high  white 
horse,  her  hair  flying  in  the  sunset  wind ;  she  was  dancing 
with  gipsies  on  a  reaching  moor;  some  of  them  were 
singing,  and  three  black  crows  circled  in  the  half  light 
above  their  heads.  The  music  dropped  to  a  wailing  la- 
ment. There  was  death  —  death  in  a  dim  town.  A 
cathedral  bell  was  tolling  —  tolling  —  the  Sisters  were  at 
prayer  — 

Suddenly  a  door  opened  directly  facing  Colinette.  It 
let  in  a  square  of  brilliant  light,  and  in  the  center  of  the 
square  stood  a  lovely  white-haired  woman  who  gave  a 
startled  exclamation  at  sight  of  her  peering  there.  The 
boy  wheeled  about  upon  the  piano  stool,  gazed  squarely 
into  Colinette's  eyes,  then  made  a  dash  for  the  hall  door. 
Colinette  flew  like  the  wind  down  to  the  street  and  was 
off  in  the  direction  of  the  church  where  she  had  been  due 
some  time  before.  She  heard  the  pounding  of  the  boy's 
feet  as  he  pursued  her.  This  was  adventure !  This  was 
exhilaration ! 


COLIXETTE  OF  REDMOOX  87 

Once  the  boy  called  out,  "  Jeff!  Oh,  Jeff!  "  and  Coli- 
nette  was  glad  to  learn  that  the  boy  was  laboring  tinder  a 
misapprehension  as  to  the  identity  of  the  one  he  pur- 
sued. He  thought  it  some  comrade  of  his  own  who  had 
been  playing  the  part  of  Peeping  Tom.  But  when  she 
plunged  under  the  street-lamp  at  the  next  corner  the  boy 
would  discover  that  the  culprit  was  a  girL  She  could 
see,  also,  the  demure,  toddling  figures  of  two  elderly  per- 
sons on  their  way  to  prayer-meeting.  It  would  never  do 
to  pass  them  at  her  present  rate  of  speed  and  enter  the 
church  door  in  plain  sight  of  them  as  well  as  of  her 
pursuer.  Under  cover  of  a  pair  of  ornamental  shrubs 
she  left  the  sidewalk  and  disappeared  in  the  fastnesses  of 
a  shadowy  yard.  An  ominous  rustle,  a  snarl  ending  in 
a  snappy,  disagreeable  bark,  accelerated  her  passage 
through  this  yard  in  a  cornerwise  course  and  landed  her, 
safe  but  trembling,  well  up  the  dark  side  street.  From 
this  distance  she  saw  the  boy  cross  the  street  and  knew 
that  she  had  escaped. 

She  pressed  her  hands  to  her  lips  to  stifle  her  excited 
laughter,  leaning  against  a  tree  and  drawing  long  breaths. 
Oh,  but  this  was  a  lark!  This  was  adventure  pure  and 
simple!  But  there  was  prayer-meeting  just  around  the 
corner,  and  grandmother  wondering  why  she  did  not 
come.  And  where,  meanwhile  was  the  boy?  Waiting 
at  the  church  door  to  nab  her?  She  must  avoid  such  a 
happening. 

The  snarling  dog  was  still  voicing  his  objections  to 
catercornerwise  travel  across  his  yard.  There  might  be 
more  of  his  kind  somewhere  along  the  length  of  the  alley 


88  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

which  separated  deep  gardens  and  which  would  eventu- 
ally bring  her  to  the  railroad  track,  but  she  must  take 
the  risk. 

She  reached  the  track,  followed  north  to  the  street, 
then  stepped  demurely  churchward.  Even  if  the  boy 
were  to  meet  her  now  face  to  face  he  could  have  no  sus- 
picions of  a  quiet  young  person  minding  her  own  business 
and  going  in  an  entirely  opposite  direction  from  that 
taken  by  the  culprit  whom  he  had  been  following.  She 
was  almost  sure  that  she  saw  the  dim  figure  of  a  watcher 
standing  across  the  street  from  the  church,  but  she  looked 
straight  ahead,  mounted  the  church  steps  leisurely,  and  a 
moment  later  sat  pressed  lovingly  against  her  grand- 
mother's coat  sleeve,  gazing  with  innocent  young  eyes  at 
the  minister  who  was  speaking  when  she  came  in.  Her 
heart  was  still  beating  rapidly  from  her  long  run,  but  her 
mind  was  filled  with  a  great  peace  and  a  satisfying  con- 
tentment. How  good  it  was  to  be  here  in  prayer- 
meeting  with  the  comforting  feel  of  grandmother's  arm 
against  her  own!  Aunt  Susan  in  the  far  corner  of  the 
seat,  Cousin  Susan  bobbing  surreptitiously  back  and  forth 
to  catch  her  eye  around  grandmother's  intervening  toque, 
and  up  in  front  that  good  preacher  saying  kind  and  com- 
forting words.  Adventure  was  all  right  —  in  its  place 
—  and  schemes,  and  surprises,  which  were  a  bit  unlawful, 
but  while  one  of  the  sisters  prayed  for  America  and 
many,  many  far-off  lands,  lands  whose  inhabitants  still 
bowed  down  to  wood  and  stone,  Colinette,  kneeling  close 
to  her  grandmother,  and  entirely  hidden  between  the  high 
pews,  sent  up  a  heartfelt  prayer  of  thanksgiving  for  these 
three  dear  relatives  here  in  the  seat  with  her.     Even  more 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  89 

fervently  she  prayed  that  God  would  help  her  to  curb  a 
dreadful  predilection  for  lawlessness  which  rose  so 
strongly  within  her.  So  strongly,  indeed,  that  it  might 
lead  to  the  estrangement  of  these  beloved  relatives.  Be- 
fore she  had  come  to  live  with  her  grandmother  she  had 
known  children  who  had  no  homes  of  their  own ;  no  place 
in  all  the  world  where  they  belonged;  where  there  were 
hearts  to  love  them,  to  feel  sorry  when  they  were  sorry 
and  glad  when  they  were  glad.  It  was  wonderful  — 
this  bond  of  love  between  relatives.  To  have  such  a 
sweet,  kind  grandmother  and  such  a  cousin  as  Susan 
Dunlap  —  why,  any  girl  ought  to  be  thankful.  And 
Colinette  was  deeply  thankful.  While  a  weak  voice  far 
back  in  a  distant  pew  prayed  for  grace  to  bear  the  bur- 
dens of  life,  Colinette  was  formulating  in  her  mind  the 
different  things  she  would  be  willing  to  do  for  her  grand- 
mother and  for  Sue.  She  would  risk  her  life  gladly  to 
save  theirs  —  she  was  sure  of  that;  she  would  willingly 
go  hungry  if  that  were  necessary  to  their  being  fed;  she 
would  wear  old,  dark-brown  clothes  that  they  might 
revel  in  lovely  pinks  and  blues,  but  —  would  she  be  will- 
ing, for  their  sake,  to  give  up  any  of  her  wild,  adven- 
turous schemes;  schemes  which  smacked  so  strongly  of 
insubordination  ?  Her  grandmother  had  said  that  all  she 
required  of  Colinette  in  payment  for  her  home  was  that 
she  should  be  a  good  girl.  Would  grandmother  con- 
sider peeping  into  strange  windows  being  good?  And 
this  magnificent,  this  dazzling  secret  which  was  to  be  re- 
vealed to  Susan  tomorrow  and  which  wasn't  just  —  well 
—  altogether  within  lawful  bounds  —  oh,  dear!  and  yet 
was  not  so  very  wicked.     No,  much  as  she  loved  her 


9o  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

grandmother,  she  could  not  be  good  to  the  extent  of  fore- 
going that  secret. 

"  Grandmother,"  she  asked  softly,  atfer  they  had  left 
the  two  Susans  and  crossed  the  street  to  their  own  door, 
"  how  can  a  person  tell  when  she  is  being  good  or  being 
bad?" 

"  My  conscience  tells  me,"  said  grandmother. 

"  But  you  are  never  bad  anyway.  It  is  just  perfectly 
natural  and  easy  for  you  to  be  good.  Now,  I  am  more  — 
sort  of  —  complicated.  I  sort  of  —  slip  right  off  a  good 
step  on  to  a  step  below,  and  then  on  to  another  step  be- 
low that,  and  then  the  first  I  know  I'm  —  bad." 

"  As  soon  as  you  notice  you're  a  slipping,  climb  back," 
advised  grandmother.  "Climb,  and  pray!  That's  the 
only  way.  And  it  ain't  so  easy  for  me  to  keep  on  the  top 
step  nuther.  I  bump  off  every  now  and  then  —  f eelin' 
mad  at  Luther  Dunlap  for  —  well  —  his  sort  of  selfish 
way  with  the  Susans  —  and  a  f eelin'  of  envy  for  Rinthy 
Pickens'  fine  parlor.  I  do  love  rich  things  in  a  parlor  but 
of  course  I  can't  ever  have  'em.  And  when  all's  said  an' 
done  they  ain't  really  necessary  to  happiness.  And  then 
she  brags  so  about  Helen;  her  clothes  an'  her  musical 
education  an'  all  them  things  that  money  gives,  and  that 
I'd  like  to  be  able  to  give  to  you  and  Susan  but  never 
can  —  why,  as  I  say,  first  thing  I  know  I'm  goin'  bumpty- 
te-bump  down  to  a  step  that's  built  of  selfishness,  envy  an' 
false  pride.  Then  I  take  it  to  the  Lord  in  prayer  and  be- 
gin to  scramble  back  onto  the  higher  step.  There  ain't  no 
excuse  for  me  not  to  scramble  back,  nuther ;  no  excuse  for 
me  to  say,  '  why,  I  never  noticed  when  I  slipped  off  that 
step  a-tall.     I  thought  I  was  standin'  safe  enough,  and  I 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  91 

ain't  sure  now  that  I  ain't  standin'  on  the  top  step  in- 
stead of  the  third  down.' 

"  The  minute  you  begin  to  pray  over  the  matter  it  gits 
clear  enough  to  you  what  step  you're  on.  You  may  git  to 
feeling  that  the  lower  step  where  you  are  standing  is  an 
awful  comfortable  one  —  nice  and  broad,  and  you  can 
see  more  landscape  from  it,  and  so  on.  That's  the  way 
a  good  many  folks  excuse  themselves  for  not  bein'  what 
they  should  be.  They  say  they  are  broader- footed  and 
that  lower  step  is  more  suitable  for  them  to  stand  on ;  let 
the  narrow-soled  folks  stand  on  that  high,  cramped  little 
top  step.  But  I  tell  you,  such  folks  don't  pray  over  their 
slippings  for  fear  they  will  be  guided.  They  pray  about 
things  a  good  way  off  and  forgit  their  own  needs." 

"  Yes,"  admitted  Colinette  absently. 

"  That  step  idea  of  yours  is  real  pretty,  Colinette,"  said 
her  grandmother  admiringly. 

"  Yes,"  assented  Colinette,  still  absently. 

"  Did  you  think  that  out  all  by  yourself  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Well  now,  I  call  that  smart.  I'll  bet  Helen  Pickens 
never  would  have  thought  that  out  in  the  world,  and  she's 
had  so  much  schoolin'  too." 

Colinette  laughed.  They  were  in  their  own  home  by 
this  time  hanging  up  their  things.  Colinette  kissed  her 
grandmother  good-night  and  went  to  her  room  where  she 
dutifully  said  her  prayers,  but  without  a  word  in  regard 
to  the  wonderful  secret  of  the  next  day. 


VIII 

Friday  afternoons  Mrs.  Gard  usually  did  the  week's 
marketing.  Occasionally  Colinette  went  with  her,  but 
on  this  particular  Friday  she  and  Susan  were  going  over 
to  Seedy's  Woods;  at  least  they  had  asked  permission  to 
do  so.  In  the  morning  Colinette  ran  across  the  road,  her 
short  apron  fluttering  in  the  breeze.  In  the  pocket  of 
the  fluttering  apron  she  carried  a  note  sealed  fast  and  ad- 
dressed to  "  Sue."  When  she  fluttered  back  again  the 
note  was  no  longer  in  the  pocket.  Now  as  her  grand- 
mother put  the  finishing  touches  to  her  preparations  for 
her  trip  to  market,  Colinette  hovered  anxiously  in  her 
grandmother's  bedroom  in  the  vicinity  of  the  window. 
The  window  overlooked  the  back  yard,  and  presently 
Colinette  caught  sight  of  the  object  for  which  she  watched 
—  a  boy's  cap,  showing  spasmodically  behind  the  barn 
of  the  neighbor  to  the  north,  disappearing  amongst  a 
clump  of  cherry  trees,  gleaming  dimly  from  underneath 
the  flowering  currant  bush  which  marked  the  northeast 
corner  of  the  Gard  property.  In  order  to  be  in  such  a 
position  the  owner  of  the  cap  must  be  fairly  on  all  fours. 
In  this  port  of  safety  the  boy  hesitated  so  long  that  the 
girl  at  the  window  grew  nervous.  Mrs.  Gard  was  all 
ready  to  start. 

"  Now,  hadn't  you  better  git  your  hat  and  you  and 
Susan  start  on  your  picnic  so  as  to  git  back  early  ?  "  sug- 

92 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  93 

gested  Mrs.  Gard.  "  You'd  better  come  along  with  me 
over  to  your  Aunt  Susan's  right  now  so  I  can  lock  up 
the  house  for  good." 

"I  —  am  not  just  ready,  please,  grandmother," 
pleaded  Colinette,  "  I  haven't  finished  putting  up  my 
part  of  the  lunch — peanut  butter  sandwiches  and  a  cup 
of  jelly;  don't  you  remember?  " 

"  Well,  hurry,  child ;  and  I'll  step  along  for  I'm  going 
down  to  Mrs.  Kize's  for  a  few  minutes  after  I  git  the 
meat." 

"  Good-by,  grandmother." 

"  Good-by." 

Colinette  had  never  considered  her  grandmother  slow; 
in  fact,  Mrs.  Gard  was  very  energetic  in  her  movements, 
but  today  it  seemed  as  if  she  would  never  get  started. 
She  was  still  lingering  at  the  front  door  calling  back  ad- 
vice and  instructions  in  regard  to  the  thickness  of  the 
sandwiches  and  their  wrappings  when  the  boy's  cap  came 
with  startling  suddenness  into  the  open,  its  wearer  in  a 
crouching  position,  evidently  believing  that  he  would  be 
less  conspicuous  in  that  attitude,  made  a  swift  spurt 
across  the  cabbage  patch,  bisected  the  strawberry  planta- 
tion, and  disappeared  in  the  Gard  woodshed.  The 
wearer  of  the  cap  had  given  one  sweeping  glare  at  the 
back  door  and  kitchen  window  to  make  sure  he  was  not 
observed.  To  Mrs.  Gard's  innocently  curtained  bed- 
room window  he  had  given  no  thought. 

Her  grandmother  having  now  started  on  her  comfor- 
table way  down  town  Colinette  glided  out  to  the  wood- 
shed door,  thrust  the  staple  through  the  heavy  bolt, 
dropped  the  padlock  into  place  and  snapped  the  lock. 


94  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

Mrs.  Gard's  woodshed  was  a  veritable  fortress  for  se- 
curity. In  winter  time  it  served  as  a  storehouse  for 
smoked  hams,  an  occasional  quarter  of  beef,  fruit,  and 
mincemeat,  each  in  its  proper  season.  Colinette  returned 
to  the  kitchen  with  a  satisfied  little  sigh  and  began  to 
make  the  sandwiches.  She  finished  them  and  shortly 
after  her  grandmother's  toque  disappeared  over  the  rail- 
road, locked  the  front  door,  thrust  the  key  into  its  usual 
hidingplace  under  the  front  porch  and  tripped  across 
to  meet  Susan  who  had  been  watching  from  her  own 
window  and  came  out  to  meet  her. 

Susan  was  plainly  anxious.  She  tried  to  account  for 
her  anxiety  by  explaining  her  worry  over  Elmer's  prob- 
able proceedings. 

"  I  don't  know  where  he  went,"  she  said,  "  but  he 
skipped  out  somewhere  over  an  hour  ago,  and  I'll  bet 
anything  he's  watching  us.  He  is  just  bound  to  find 
out  what  we  are  up  to.  He  told  Rob  and  he  told  pa 
that  us  girls  were  up  to  some  mischief  or  other.  I  just 
expected  pa  would  order  me  to  stay  home  all  afternoon, 
but  ma  told  pa  that  we  were  just  going  for  a  walk  over 
to  Seedy's  Woods.  Then  she  asked  me  what  we  was 
up  to;  what  the  secret  was  that  Elmer  was  so  worked 
up  over.  I  told  her  I  didn't  know  until  after  you  told 
me. 

"  That  was  an  unlucky  note  that  I  wrote  that  day," 
owned  Colinette. 

"  Yes,  that  note  gave  the  whole  thing  away,  and  I 
don't  think  we'd  better  try  to  — " 

"  Did  you  get  the  note  I  carried  over  to  your  house 
this  morning?"  asked  Colinette. 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  95 

"  Why,  no,"  mourned  Susan.  "  Where  did  you  leave 
it?" 

"Under  the  lamp  on  the   front  room  table." 

"  Oh,  my  goodness !  I'll  bet  you  anything  Elmer 
Dunlap's  got  it!" 

"  No  danger  of  that ;  I  put  it  in  an  envelope,  sealed 
it  up  tight  and  addressed  it  to  you." 

"  Well,  do  you  think  that  would  make  any  difference 
to  Elmer  if  he  wanted  to  find  out  what  was  in  it?  Why 
didn't  you  give  it  to  me  out  in  the  kitchen?  Ma  never 
would  have  made  any  fuss  or  asked  what  was  in  it  or 
anything.     What  did  you  say  in  the  note  ?  " 

"  I  wrote : 

"'Sue:  —  Meet  me  (well,  I  told  you  where  to  meet 
me)  and  I  will  tell  you  the  secret.' 

"  I  think  you  will  find  it  under  the  lamp  still  when  you 
get  home." 

"  I  suppose  I  will." 

They  were  approaching  the  old  Pettingill  House. 
Even  in  the  bright  sunlight  of  a  late  August  afternoon  it 
seemed  sinister. 

"  Oh,  Colinette,  I  just  don't  dare  go  in ! "  whimpered 
Susan. 

"  Remember  the  lovely  secret." 

"  I  don't  believe  it  amounts  to  any  more  than  my  secret 
does  and  that's  just  nothing  at  all." 

"  I  know  what  it  is  —  your  secret." 

"  What  is  my  secret  then,  if  you're  so  smart?  " 

"  Somebody  has  swiped  Rosey." 

"  Why,  Colinette  Gard,  how  did  you  find  out  ?  Did 
ma  tell  you  ?  " 


96  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

"  No." 

"Elmer,  then?" 

"  No,  Elmer  couldn't  tell  me,  because  Elmer  didn't 
know  it." 

"  Awh,  Colinette,  what  are  you  talking  about !  Elmer 
took  her!     Rob  wouldn't  bother  to  steal  a  doll." 

"  There  are  other  folks  in  the  world  besides  Rob  and 
Elmer  Dunlap." 

"  Yes,  but  no  one  mean  enough  to  go  and  run  rings 
around  a  poor  doll's  eyes  and  then  carry  her  off  —  oh, 
please,  Colinette,  let  me  off  my  promise  to  go  into  that 
old  rathole  with  you!     Won't  you  please,   Colinette?" 

Colinette  shook  her  head  determinedly  and  took  a 
firm  hold  of  her  cousin's  arm. 

The  Pettingill  House  was  peculiarly  easy  of  access 
without  the  probability  of  the  visitors  being  observed. 
Across  the  side  street,  which  it  faced,  stood  what  had 
once  been  the  great  barn  belonging  to  the  hotel.  It  was 
used  for  drying  tobacco  now,  and  as  the  crop  was  still 
in  the  field  there  was  small  chance  of  being  seen  from 
that  quarter.  The  Plummer  place  to  the  north  was  ef- 
fectually screened  by  the  building  which  had  once  been 
Richard  Brackley's  studio  and  was  now  the  Plummer 
storehouse.  To  the  east  the  lots  were  vacant  down  to 
the  railroad  embankment.  Across  Brown  Street  to  the 
south  stretched  a  pasture  where  no  eyes  save  those  of  a 
few  village  cows  were  apt  to  take  notice.  The  only 
house  east  of  the  Dunlap  place  on  West  Brown  Street 
stood  across  the  street  cornerwise  from  the  old  hotel, 
but  it  had  been  empty  for  a  long  time  and  all  the  lights 
in  the  windows  were  broken.     Of  course  there  was  a 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  97 

chance  of  a  workman  in  the  barn  sent  to  adjust  poles  for 
the  coming  crop  of  tobacco;  or  of  Jeff  Plummer  using 
the  cross  street  as  he  did  at  infrequent  intervals ;  or  boys 
might  be  crossing  the  pasture  or  walking  on  the  rail- 
road; some  of  the  dwellers  on  West  Brown  Street  might 
be  going  to  or  coming  from  town;  but  it  is  safe  to  say 
that  if  any  such  observers  had  thought  they  saw  girls 
going  into  the  old  hotel  —  or  even  boys  —  they  would 
not  have  believed  that  they  had  seen  aright,  so  unsavory 
was  the  reputation  acquired  by  the  old  place  during  the 
passing  years. 

But  in  spite  of  these  facts  Colinette  paused  warily  and 
looked  about  her  before  they  crossed  the  street,  then, 
finding  everything  as  still  as  a  sleeping  town,  she  dove 
toward  her  goal,  towing  her  frightened  cousin  in  her 
wake  as  a  small  tug  brings  a  sailing  vessel  into  port.  Be- 
fore Susan  had  time  to  gasp,  the  gloomy  front  door  had 
closed  behind  her,  and  she  was  in  the  hall  of  the  haunted 
house. 

Before  her  rose  a  flight  of  stairs  up  which  in  times 
past  all  sorts  of  feet  had  wandered.  Now  the  dust  lay 
thick  upon  them  undisturbed  save  by  the  passing  of  one 
pair  of  slender  feet. 

Colinette  did  not  lead  her  guest  up  the  stairs.  Instead 
she  sought  a  soul-searing,  hair-raising  black  nook  un- 
derneath them,  opened  a  door  and  dragged  the  trembling 
Susan  cellarward. 

"  Nothing  down  here  except  empty  boxes  and  barrels," 
she  assured  her  cousin,  "  not  even  a  rat.  A  rat  would 
starve  to  death  down  here." 

They  were  groping  their  way  over  a  cellar  floor  which, 


98  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

to  Susan's  overwrought  imagination,  seemed  the  size  of 
Walker's  cow  pasture  or  even  larger.  They  reached  its 
limit  at  last  and  paused  in  front  of  a  stubborn-looking 
stone  wall. 

"  This  is  the  north  wall,"  said  Colinette  in  a  tone  which 
intimated  that  the  fact  was  of  great  importance. 

Susan  was  suffering  terribly  from  fright.  "  Well, 
what  of  it?"  she  snapped.  "  Colinette,  let's  get  out  of 
this  horrid  place !  Whatever  did  you  drag  me  down  here 
for?  Just  to  scare  me  to  death;  that's  what  you  did  it 
for,  and  you  have  done  it  —  just  plum  scared  me  to 
death!  I'm  shaking  —  just  shaking!  And  you  are  as 
mean  as  you  can  be !  You  want  to  show  off !  You  ain't 
afraid  of  anything!  You'd  go  into  a  lion's  den  —  to 
show  off!  But  I  am  afraid.  I  never  pretended  to  be 
brave,  and  —  I'm  going  and  you  can't  stop  me !  " 

Susan  made  a  lunge  to  put  her  threat  into  execution  — 
and  Susan's  weight  was  in  her  favor  in  the  matter  of 
lunging.     But  Colinette  dragged  her  back  determinedly. 

"  Oh,  Susan,  don't  go  now !  Oh,  Susan,  you  prom- 
ised—  you  know  you  promised!  There  isn't  a  thing  in 
this  cellar  to  hurt  you  —  not  a  single  thing !  And,  Susan, 
the  secret  is  down  here;  the  lovely  secret!  It's  there  in 
the  north  wall.     Now  come;  I'll  show  you." 

"  If  gram'ma  knew  we  were  down  here  in  this  old 
Pettingill  cellar  she'd  give  us  both  a  good  whipping;  I 
know  she  would!"  stormed  Susan.  "And,  oh,  my!  if 
pa  should  find  out  — " 

Colinette  had  released  Susan's  arm  in  order  to  man- 
ipulate the  door  of  a  musty  old  cupboard  which  stood 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  99 

stark  against  the  north  wall  like  a  square  ghost.  The 
whole  cupboard  swung  inward  on  rusty  hinges  reveal- 
ing a  black  emptiness  beyond.  Once  more  Colinette 
grasped  her  cousin's  arm  with  a  viselike  grip,  and  it  was 
well  for  the  working  out  of  her  plan  that  she  did  so,  for 
Susan's  revolt  was  by  this  time  threatening  to  become  a 
stampede. 

"  There's  nothing  in  here !  It's  a  hall  —  just  a  little 
dark  hall  which  takes  you  through  to  —  something  else ! 
Oh,  don't  be  so  silly,  Sue !  Do  you  think  I  would  coax 
you  into  anythhing  dreadful?     It's  a  little  hall  —  see?" 

"  See !  I  can't  see  anything !  Nobody  could  see  any- 
thing in  here !     It's  as  black  as  a  —  a  —  black  cat !  " 

Even  if  she  could  have  freed  herself  of  her  cousin's 
clutching  fingers  she  would  not  now  have  dared  to  find 
her  way  out  alone.  They  arrived  at  another  wall  or  par- 
tition; she  heard  Colinette  undoing  another  latch.  She 
was  led  into  another  cellar  —  a  basement,  rather,  for  it 
was  of  cement  and  wanly  illuminated  by  a  high-up  oblong 
window.  In  front  of  this  small  window  greenery  shim- 
mered and  the  wild  thought  intruded  itself  into  Susan's 
brain  of  trying,  through  this  window,  to  win  back  to  the 
world  once  more.  She  knew  at  once  how  vain  was  such 
a  hope.  Colinette  might  be  able  to  squeeze  through  an 
opening  of  that  size,  but  not  Susan. 

Still  towing  Susan,  Colinette  mounted  a  short  pair  of 
stairs  and  a  moment  later  they  entered  what  seemed  after 
their  late  gloomy  voyage,  a  veritable  fairyland ;  a  room  at 
the  least  twenty  feet  square,  with  windows  on  two  sides, 
and  a  door  which  looked  as  if  it  might  possibly  lead  to 


ioo  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

liberty.  Susan  gazed  through  a  window  into  a  luxurious 
potato  field,  across  which,  in  the  distance,  she  discerned 
the  railroad  embankment. 

"  There's  a  —  railroad !  "  she  breathed. 

"Of  course,"  Colinette  assured  her,  "  that's  our  rail- 
road.    Why,  Susan,  you  must  be  just  all  turned  around." 

"  Yes,  I  am,  and  who  wouldn't  be  turned  around  after 
crawling  all  around  and  under  this  old  ghost  house !  " 

"  But  this  isn't  the  ghost  house  at  all ;  this  is  Plum- 
mers'  storehouse." 

"  Plummers' —  why,  Colinette  Gard,  what  have  you 
done!  You've  broken  into  other  folks'  property! 
You're  a  burglar !  " 

"  But  I  don't  believe  Plummers'  folks  use  this  place  at 
all.  I  can't  for  the  life  of  me  see  why  they  shouldn't, 
but  I  don't  believe  they  do." 

Susan,  in  her  great  relief  at  being,  no  matter  how  un- 
lawfully, clear  of  the  Pettingill  House,  began  to  look 
about  her.  Through  the  western  window  nodded  a  bunch 
of  cosmos,  and  above  them  the  sun  shone  in  pleasantly, 
lying  in  streaks  along  the  dusty  floor.  In  one  corner  of 
the  room  stood  an  old-fashioned  musical  instrument  —  a 
melodion,  Susan  guessed  it  to  be.  It  was  closed,  and  on 
its  polished  top  stood  something  which  fairly  made  her 
gasp  —  Rosey !  Rosey  restored  to  more  than  her  orig- 
inal beauty ;  hair,  complexion  —  costume. 

"Rosey!  "  she  breathed,  approaching  the  doll  slowly; 
"  Rosey  with  her  rings  off !     Colinette,  did  you  do  it  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  did  it.  I  painted  her  and  fixed  her  up  but  — 
Elmer  paid  for  it." 

"Elmer!" 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  101 

"  He  doesn't  know  it.  I  took  the  money  out  of  his 
bank.  Of  course  if  you  have  a  mind  to,  you  can  tell 
him  and  hand  over  Rosey  to  be  scratched  up  and  spoiled 
again,  but  I  wouldn't  if  I  were  you;  I'd  keep  her  all 
nice  and  lovely  as  she  is  now." 

"  But  where,  Colinette ;  where  ?  " 

"  Here  in  Plummers'  storehouse.  I  don't  think  they 
use  this  place.  We  could  put  her  in  a  box  up  on  those 
shelves  with  all  those  other  boxes,  and  if  they  did  come  in 
they  wouldn't  be  apt  to  notice.  There  is  dust  an  inch 
thick  on  all  those  boxes,  but  no  ringer  marks  or  fresh- 
looking  spots  as  if  the  boxes  had  been  opened  lately." 

"  What's  in  the  other  boxes  ?  " 

"  Queer  things ;  butterflies,  beetles,  and  —  look  over 
yonder  on  that  shelf.  At  first  I  thought  they  were  cans 
of  fruit.     They  are  pickled  snakes !  " 

"  Oh-o-o-o-o ! "  shuddered  Susan,  and  approached 
with  appropriate  gestures  of  horror  for  a  closer  view. 
As  she  stood,  neck  extended,  mind  wholly  absorbed  in 
contemplation  of  a  mottled  scaly  substance;  well  pre- 
served as  to  texture  and  color  where  it  pressed  against  the 
side  of  the  glass  jar,  Colinette  was  attacked  by  an  unholy 
temptation  —  and  yielded.  She  softly  laid  the  tips  of 
two  cold  fingers  on  the  back  of  Susan's  neck,  and  the 
next  moment  wished  she  hadn't.  A  howl  of  terror  rent 
the  air. 

Colinette  saw  her  mistake  at  once  and  scuttled  for  the 
door  which  led  to  the  basement  stairs,  as  usual  dragging 
Susan  with  her. 

"  Rosey's  left !  Rosey's  left ! "  hissed  Susan  in  a 
frenzy  of  maternal  regret. 


io2  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

"Ssh-h-h-h! "  hissed  Colinette  in  return.  "What 
made  you  scream  out  that  way,  Susan?  I'm  afraid 
you've  spoiled  everything!  I  don't  see  how  the  Plum- 
mers  could  help  hearing  such  a  yelp  as  that.  And  in  their 
storehouse.  They'll  come  boiling  out  to  investigate  — 
Hush,  I  hear  somebody  now !  "  She  stood  holding  the 
secret  door  ajar.  A  mouldy  odor  crept  out  of  the  dark 
little  passageway  and  floated  through  the  basement. 

"  You'd  no  business  to  tickle  my  neck  —  cold,  like  that 
and  me  looking  at  snakes !  Ugh !  It  was  your  fault  that 
I  yelled  out.  I  wish  you'd  shut  that  door;  I'm  just  as 
afraid  of  that  black  hole  as  I  am  of  the  Plummers!" 
Colinette  closed  the  door  softly  and  they  stood  in  silence 
for  a  long  five  minutes. 

"  Doesn't  seem  to  be  anything  stirring  up  there,"  whis- 
pered Colinette.  "  You  stay  down  here  ready  to  plunge 
into  the  passageway  and  I'll  go  up  and  reconnoiter  — " 

"  Not  much !  Colinette,  you  think  I'm  going  to  stay 
down  here  at  the  mouth  of  this  old  black  hole  all  alone? 
You'd  hear  another  yelp  worse  than  the  first  one  and 
Cousin  Sue  would  be  lying  in  a  fit  scared  plum  to  death !  " 

They  waited  awhile  longer,  then  both  crept  back  up 
the  narrow  stairs  filled  vnth  —  to  Colinette  —  delicious 
tremors  of  excitement,  to  Susan,  genuine  spasms  of  suf- 
fering as  they  imagined  the  terrors  which  might  await 
them  in  the  room  above :  Jeff  Plummer,  or  his  father  with 
the  sheriff  to  drag  them  off  to  jail  for  housebreaking. 
Or  somebody  pointing  a  revolver  through  that  eastern 
window  demanding  what  the  matter  was  and  who  was 
being  murdered. 

Colinette  opened  the  door  at  the  head  of  the  stairs 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  103 

and  peered  forth,  then  emerged  and  beckoned  to  Susan 
to  follow. 

Everything  bore  an  air  of  peaceful,  unruffled  security. 
The  western  sunlight  lay  along  the  floor  in  a  broad  reas- 
suring band  of  gold.  On  the  old  melodion  stood  Rosey, 
one  hand  extended,  a  smile  of  happiness  on  her  restored 
countenance,  her  hair,  lovely,  thick  and  golden,  framing 
her  serene  little  face  becomingly. 

The  girls  peered  cautiously  from  the  east  window  and 
from  the  west,  arriving  very  logically  at  a  state  of  secu- 
rity far  beyond  anything  they  had  felt  before. 

"If  that  didn't  rouse  the  Plummers  nothing  will,"  con- 
cluded Colinette.  "  And  isn't  it  a  jolly  place,  and  the 
most  wonderful  secret  you  ever  heard  of  —  that  pas- 
sageway underground  from  the  old  Pettingill  House  cel- 
lar to  the  basement  under  this  building?" 

Now  that  her  nerves  were  regaining  their  wonted  calm- 
ness, Susan  admitted  enthusiastically  that  it  was  a 
wonderful  arrangement. 

They  went  about  carefully  poking  into  drygoods  boxes 
and  opening  cases  and  cupboards.  They  found  wooden 
threshing  machines,  unpainted,  but  mellowed  by  time; 
there  were  skates  and  bicycle  tires  and  baseball  mitts; 
there  were  boxes  of  books  of  a  Wild  West  tendency. 
Susan  declared  it  to  be  her  opinion  that  this  was  not  a 
storehouse  which  belonged  to  the  entire  Plummer  family 
but  to  Jeff  Plummer  exclusively,  and  that  any  minute 
he  might  descend  upon  them  like  a  wolf  on  the  fold.  And 
how  would  they  feel  then  —  caught  prowling  in  Jeff 
Plummer's  storehouse!  Why,  her  stepfather  would  sim- 
ply beat  the  life  out  of  her. 


104  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

"If  this  is  Jeff  Plummer's  storehouse  he  doesn't  use  it 
any  more,"  said  Colinette.  "  I  have  been  coming  here  for 
three  weeks,  listening  and  dodging  and  running  for  the 
cellar,  and  in  all  that  time  no  one  else  has  been  here.  To 
begin  with,  look  at  that  door;  not  only  locked  from  the 
outside,  but  bolted  twice  from  the  inside.  That  door 
hasn't  been  opened  for  a  long  time.  No,  whoever  uses 
this  storehouse  gets  in  here  the  same  way  that  we  get  in, 
through  the  cellar  of  the  old  hotel." 

Susan  took  Rosey  up  tenderly  and  gazed  at  her  in  a 
flood  of  admiration. 

"  Come  now,  tell  me  all  about  everything,"  she  de- 
manded. 

"  All  right,  I  will,"  agreed  Colinette,  "  but  first  let's 
set  out  the  feast,  and  while  we  eat,  I'll  tell  you  —  well, 
everything." 


IX 

Colinette  cleared  a  little  homemade  table  of  its  load 
of  boxes,  brought  it  out  into  the  sunlight  and  covered  it 
with  a  napkin.  In  putting  out  her  nut  sandwiches,  ap- 
ples, cookies,  and  the  wad  of  fruitcake  which  Susan  had 
brought  securely  tied  in  a  napkin  and  stuffed  into  her 
apron  pocket,  she  discovered  that  they  had  nothing  to 
drink. 

"I'll  just  skip  across  the  road  and  get  a  can  of  water 
from  that  empty  house,"  said  Colinette. 

"  Alone  ?  "  Susan  was  horrified  again.  "  And  I  pre- 
sume that  can  is  the  one  Jeff  Plummer  caught  his  snakes 
in." 

"  I'll  rinse  it,"  promised  Colinette  and  ran  away  in 
the  midst  of  Susan's  protests  against  being  left  alone. 
She  was  back  in  a  moment  with  a  dripping  can. 

"  And  you  didn't  see  anything  horrible  on  your  way 
in  or  out?"  questioned  Susan  anxiously,  helping  her- 
self to  a  sandwich. 

"  Yes,  I  did  see  something  horrible." 

"Oh,  dear!"  whimpered  Susan  with  her  mouth  full 
of  sandwich,  "  and  we've  either  got  to  break  one  of  these 
windows  to  get  out  or  else  go  through  that  horrible  place 
again !  " 

"  There  isn't  anything  horrible  in  that  old  hotel, 
never,  Sue;  it's  the  safest  place  in  town  because  boys  and 

105 


io6  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

tramps  don't  dare  come  into  it.  What  I  saw  was  grand- 
mother's toque  coming  into  sight  over  the  railroad  track. 
I  made  time  getting  across  the  road,  I  can  tell  you,  with 
my  can- just  a  slopping.  I  don't  see  what's  bringing  her 
home  so  early.  She  intended  to  go  round  and  call  on 
Mrs.  Kize,  and  that  always  takes  time.  I  wish  Mrs. 
Kize  would  try  to  be  at  home  when  grandmother  goes  to 
call  on  her." 

"  Do  you  realize,  Colinette,  that  gram'ma  would  be 
awful  mad  if  she  knew  what  you've  been  up  to  —  break- 
ing into  Plummers'  ?  " 

"  I  know  it."  Colinette  looked  distressed.  Susan 
took  another  sandwich. 

"  I  guess  I'm  eating  more  than  my  share  of  the  lunch. 
Why  don't  you  pitch  in  and  eat  and  not  sit  and  sigh  and 
look  sorry  that  way?  Are  you  sorry  for  what  you've 
done?" 

"  I  am  always  honestly  sorry  after  I  have  done  some- 
thing that  I  know  would  displease  (grandmother;  but 
still  —  I  go  right  on  and  do  something  worse  yet  — 
something  that  is  so  much  fun  to  do  that  I  just  can't 
help  doing  it." 

"  Well,  what  makes  you  act  so,  then  ? "  said  Susan 
sanctimoniously,  and  helped  herself  to  the  third  cookie. 

"  One  just  gets  led  on  from  bad  to  worse,"  owned 
Colinette  contritely,  with  her  first  sandwich  in  her  fin- 
gers still  untasted.  "  And  yet,  I  think  the  last  part  of 
this  Rosey  plan  isn't  as  bad  as  the  first  part  was.  For 
I  was  the  burglar  who  burgled  Elmer's  bank." 

"  Why,  Colinette  Gard !  Colinette  Gard !  you  broke 
into  our  house  in  the  night  and — " 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  107 

"  Oh,  no,  I  didn't ;  I  took  both  the  banks  the  day  you 
asked  me  to  come  upstairs  with  you  to  see  Mr.  Brackley's 
pictures  and  we  discovered  Rosey  all  spoiled.  I  didn't 
know  which  bank  belonged  to  Elmer  and  which  to  Rob, 
so  I  stole  them  both.  I  intended  from  the  first  to  put 
Rob's  bank  back,  but  I  never  intended  to  put  a  penny  of 
Elmer's  money  back.  I  intended  to  buy  you  a  great, 
lovely,  new  doll  and  some  stuff  to  make  clothes  for  it, 
but  I  looked  in  every  store  in  Redmoon  and  there  isn't 
a  doll  in  town  as  pretty  and  lifelike  and  sort  of  —  up- 
standing as  Rosey  is.  So  I  bought  oil  paints  enough  to 
fix  up  Rosey,  some  remnants  to  make  things  for  her,  and 
another  doll  with  a  pretty  wig  which  would  fit  Rosey  — 
See?  I  scalped  her  to  fix  up  Rosey."  Colinette  took 
down  a  box  from  the  shelf,  a  box  with  something  familiar 
in  its  appearance,  and  produced  the  despoiled  one  to- 
gether with  her  own  thimble,  scissors,  needlebook  and 
sundry  scraps  of  silk,  bits  of  lace,  gauze,  and  snippets 
of  lawn. 

"You  made  the  clothes  for  Rosey  too,  Colinette?" 
Colinette  admitted  the  deed  with  a  solemn  nod. 

"  Bat  you  told  gram'ma  that  you  didn't  know  how  to 
sew." 

"  That  was  when  I  first  came,"  owned  Colinette  con- 
tritely, "  I  don't  tell  grandmother  out  and  out  whop- 
pers any  more;  I  sort  of  —  get  round  things.  I'm  that 
much  better  than  I  was  at  first  anyway.  And  if  I  had 
it  to  do  over  again  I  wouldn't  steal  Elmer's  bank  and 
smash  it  with  the  axe  in  our  woodshed  as  I  did;  al- 
though he  deserved  to  lose  his  money,  he  had  spoiled  your 
Rosey   that   you   loved.     It    was    worse,    too,    being   a 


108  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

grownup  girl's  doll;  if  you  had  been  little  your  mother 
or  grandmother  would  have  got  you  another.  But  a 
young  lady  this  way  — " 

"  That's  just  it,"  broke  in  Susan.  "  A  big  girl  like 
me  isn't  supposed  to  care  for  dolls  any  more.  But  I  do. 
Oh,  I  just  love  her!  "  She  went  over  and  kissed  Rosey 
rapturously.  Colinette  trembled  for  Rosey's  brand  new 
complexion,  but  Sus?.n's  delight  compensated  her  in  a 
great  measure  for  her  anxieties  in  regard  to  her  own 
sins. 

"  I've  got  just  loads  of  things  for  her,"  went  on  Susan, 
"  but  I  have  to  keep  them  stuffed  around  in  places  where 
he  can't  find  them;  in  ma's  closet;  in  the  rag-bag;  under 
the  bureau  and  everywhere.  I  just  love  to  make  'em, 
don't  you?" 

"  No,  I  don't  like  to  sew." 

"  And  so  you  told  gram'ma  you  couldn't ;  why, 
Colinette!" 

"  I  hope  you  won't  tell  grandmother  that,  Sue." 

"  I  should  say  I  wouldn't !  What  do  you  think  I  am, 
an  ungrateful  huzzy?  I  want  you  to  tell  me  all  about  the 
burglary  and  everything.  I  won't  tell.  Indeed,  I  love 
you  too  much  for  that." 

A  lovely  smile  illumined  Colinette's  face.  She  went 
round  the  little  table  and  laid  her  peachy  cheek  for  one 
fleeting  moment  against  Susan's  rougher,  redder  one. 

"  I'll  tell  you  all  about  it,  Sue.  As  I  have  already  told 
you,  I  stole  both  the  banks  that  first  afternoon,  but  I 
couldn't  get  hold  of  Rosey  nor  of  any  of  Rosey's 
clothes  — " 

"  But,  Colinette,  I  don't  see  how  that  can  be ;  pa  said 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  109 

he  heard  the  burglar  breaking  open  the  banks  on  the  front 
porch,  and  he  frightened  him  so  that  he  didn't  get  to 
break  open  Rob's  bank — " 

"  Yes  —  well,  Uncle  Luther  says  things  besides  his 
prayers  sometimes.  Grandmother  thinks  so,  too.  He 
surely  didn't  hear  the  burglar  who  took  the  banks  because 
that  was  me ;  and  he  didn't  scare  him  so  that  he  brought 
any  banks  back  either." 

"  I  guess  the  sheriff  did  that,"  said  Susan. 

"  No,  the  sheriff  only  made  me  laugh.  It  was  grand- 
mother who  made  me  bring  back  the  money,  all  that  I 
hadn't  spent  for  paints  and  things  and  that  other  doll." 

"  Gran-ma !  did  she  know  what  you  had  done  ?  " 

"  Well,  Sue,  I  believe  she  did.  She  prayed  for  the 
burglar  that  night  —  she  and  I.  She  made  me  pray  with 
her  for  the  poor  benighted  burglar  who  never  could  be 
happy,  she  said.  It  was  pretty  bad,  Sue.  She  warned 
me  to  lock  the  door  because  she  didn't  want  any  burglars 
in  there,  and  the  burglar  right  in  there  with  her  all  the 
time.  I'm  afraid  if  I  hadn't  already  got  Rosey's  hair 
and  the  paint  for  her  face  she  might  have  had  to  go 
bald  and  ringed  around  the  eyes  to  the  end  of  her  life. 
You  see,  I  didn't  look  at  it  in  the  same  light  that  grand- 
mother did.  Elmer  had  spoiled  your  doll  and  I  didn't 
think  it  any  sin  to  make  him  pay  for  it.  I  knew  that 
Uncle  Luther  wouldn't  make  him,  and  Aunt  Susan 
couldn't,  so  I  thought  I'd  stagger  in  and  make  him  pay 
and  pay  dearly.  But  when  I  found  out  how  she  felt 
about  it  I  could  have  died  of  shame.  I  waited  until  she 
was  safe  in  bed  and  snoring,  then  I  stole  out  and  came 
down  here  where  I  had  the  old  banks  hidden  — " 


no  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

"  You  —  you  don't  mean  you  came  down  —  Oh, 
mercy  me !     In  the  night !     In  the  cellar !  " 

"  Yes.  Nothing  happened.  I  just  popped  in  here, 
got  the  banks,  put  'em  on  your  porch  and  crawled  home 
to  bed;  and  the  only  thing  that  I  was  afraid  of  the  whole 
time  was  that  grandmother  would  find  out  and  not  love 
me  any  more.  Sue,  that's  the  one  thing  in  this  world 
that  I'm  afraid  of!" 

Susan  sat  staring  at  her  cousin.  To  her  naturally 
obedient  and  well-ordered  mind  Colinette  was  incompre- 
hensible. Afraid  of  only  one  thing  in  the  world,  and 
that  one  thing  losing  her  grandmother's  love ! 

"  Why  Colinette,"  she  breathed  at  last,  "  if  you  should 
set  fire  to  the  meeting-house,  gram'ma  would  forgive  you 
and  love  you.     She  might  cry  — " 

"  I  shall  never  make  her  cry  if  I  can  help  it,"  said  Coli- 
nette softly. 

"  Well,  you  do  take  frightful  chances." 

"  I'm  afraid  I  do.  I  wish  you'd  help  me  not  to,  Sue; 
will  you?  " 

"  Sort  of  whistle  when  I  see  you  going  wrong  the  way 
the  Scotchman  does  in  the  piece  they  elocute  in  school; 
the  one  where  he  says  '  You  may  whustle  an'  whustle ; 
but  I'll  not  take  off  another  inch '  ?  " 

"  That's  the  idea,  Sue.  It  seems  awfully  easy  for  you 
and  grandmother  to  be  good  and  awfully  hard  for  me. 
You  don't  seem  to  be  tempted  the  way  I  am.  I  hated  to 
sew  and  when  grandmother  asked  me  if  I  could,  I  just 
naturally  said  I  couldn't,  and  so  I  haven't  had  to." 

"  How  did  you  come  to  be  able  to  do  such  lovely 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  in 

things  ?  "  Susan  went  over  and  examined  Rosey's  cloth- 
ing minutely. 

"  Where  I  went  to  school,  before  I  came  to  live  with 
grandmother,  they  made  me  sew,  sew,  sew,  all  the  time." 
Colinette  made  a  gesture  of  disgust.  "  They  taught  me 
to  hem  and  to  fell  and  to  buttonhole-stitch,  to  blind 
stitch  and  to  embroider.  There  was  some  good  in  that 
because  of  the  color  in  the  silks  —  Oh,  but  I  love 
color!  Oh,  but  I  love  it!  The  color  of  the  lake  under 
a  storm  —  you  never  saw  it,  did  you,  Sue  ?  All  black 
purple,  with  white  hissing  waves;  the  color  of  sunsets  — 
why,  once  I  saw  the  sunset  from  a  tower,  high,  high  up. 
I  shall  never  forget  how  the  purple  mist  over  the  town 
turned  into  red,  and  higher  up  into  golden  green  —  and 
then  into  blue  —  Oh !  And  the  trees  in  the  park  and  in 
the  broad  streets  — 

"  But  I  never  had  lessons  in  color.  I  wanted  them  bad 
enough.     They  did  let  me  sketch  a  good  deal." 

"  Who  were  'they'?" 

"  Why,  the  teachers  where  I  went  to  school.  But 
they  said  that  I  was  poor  and  would  have  to  earn  my 
own  living  and  so  they  taught  me  to  sew  and  to  scrub 
and  to  tend  sick  folks  and  children  —  oh,  let's  not  talk 
about  it;  it  makes  me  blue  to  think  back." 

"  Oh,  I  wish  you'd  go  on,"  coaxed  Susan,  disappointed, 
"  and  tell  all  about  your  school  and  your  home  and  what 
you  used  to  do — " 

"  No,"  Colinette  broke  in,  "  I  don't  like  to  think  about 
it.     I  want  to  forget  it  all." 

"  Gram'ma  said  that  it  was  natural  that  you  should 


112  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

want  to  forget  it  for  awhile  when  your  sorrow  for  your 
mother  was  so  fresh." 

"Did  she  say  that?" 

"  Yes.  But  she  thought  after  you  had  had  a  little 
time  to  find  yourself  you'd  be  willing  to  talk  more  than 
you  ever  had  yet." 

"  When  did  she  say  all  this  ?  " 

"  One  day  over  to  our  house.  Aunt  Rinthy  was  pry- 
ing into  your  affairs,  and  gram'ma  would  say,  '  I've  never 
questioned  the  child,'  and  Aunt  Rinthy  would  say,  '  Well, 
you  ought  to;  you  ought  to  make  her  tell  you  all  about 
her  mother's  last  sickness,  and  all  about  her  mother's 
family,  and  so  on.'  " 

Colinette  smiled.  "  If  Aunt  Rinthy  ever  questions  me 
about  —  things  she'll  get  a  funny  story." 

"  You  wouldn't  lie  to  her,   would  you,  Colinette  ? " 

"  I  shan't  lie  to  grandmother  when  she  questions  me." 

They  divided  up  the  last  cookie  and  cleared  away  all 
signs  of  the  feast,  then  fell  to  admiring  Rosey  once  more. 

"  She  looks  like  a  little  actress  on  a  stage,  doesn't  she?  " 
said  Colinette.  A  new  thought  struck  her.  "  I  wish  we 
had  a  lot  more  like  her ;  we'd  dress  them  up  like  actresses 
and  actors  and  make  a  little  theatre  —  oh,  wouldn't  it 
be  fun  to  make  their  costumes  blend  and  to  paint  scenery, 
and  to  write  a  play !     I  wish  we  might !  " 

Such  heights  of  artistic  effort  were  beyond  anything 
Susan  had  ever  dreamed  of. 

"  We  never  could,  though." 

"  We  could  if  we  wanted  to  hard  enough.  You  can 
do  almost  anything  you  want  to  do  if  you  want  to 
hard  enough." 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  113 

"  Oh,  no,  you  can't  either,"  said  Susan  loftily.  "  You 
and  I  want  to  make  a  little  stage  and  a  play  and  dress  a 
lot  of  dolls  like  Rosey,  but  we  can't  do  it." 

The  light  of  a  new  scheme  was  dawning  in  Colinette's 
eyes. 

"  We  could  do  it,"  she  declared,  "  and  it  would  be  more 
fun  than  anything!  We  have  the  place  here  to  work 
out  the  plan  without  being  bothered.  We  have  one  little 
actress  already,  and  we  have  brains  and  hands  to  work 
with  —  Susan,  Susan,  I've  got  it  all  in  my  mind !  "  She 
began  to  skip  about  the  room  like  mad.  "  I've  got  it  all 
right  here  in  my  head!  Let's  do  it.  It  will  be  some- 
thing to  work  for;  something  to  scheme  for;  something 
beautiful  and  daring  and  —  and  full  of  color!" 

"  Theatres  are  wicked,"  objected  Susan. 

"  Not  doll  theatres." 

"  Well,  you  can  make  even  a  doll  theatre  wicked  if  you 
steal  money  to  buy  the  dolls  and  things  to  make  the  show 
with." 

"  We  won't  steal  the  money ;  we'll  earn  it  —  or  bor- 
row it." 

"  But  a  show  is  no  good  unless  somebody  comes  to 
see  it.  There  has  to  be  a  churchful  of  folks  to  make  a 
show  worth  anything.  But  I'd  love  to  do  it,  Colinette. 
I  could  make  the  clothes  —  maybe  not  as  nice  as  this 
petticoat  and  little  dress  are  made  —  why,  isn't  she  just 
the  darlingest  little  Rosey  in  the  world?  I  never  saw 
another  as  pretty  as  she  is." 

"  I  saw  them  advertised  in  an  old  magazine  up  at  your 
Aunt  Rinthy  Pickenses'  that  day,"  said  Colinette.       "  If 


114  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

we  could  only  get  the  money  we  could  send  right  to  the 
factory  for  them." 

"  But  how  could  you  get  them  without  anybody  finding 
out?" 

"  It  would  be  hard,  but  that  would  be  part  of  the  fun. 
I  love  schemes  and  secrets ;  don't  you  ?  " 

Susan  said  she  did  not  care  very  much  for  schemes 
and  secrets,  but  she  liked  what  they  brought  about.  She 
didn't  believe,  however,  that  it  could  be  done.  The  boys 
would  find  out  about  it,  they  would  poke  fun  at  it  and 
like  as  not  tell  it  at  school  and  make  a  laughing  stock  of 
them  both  —  great  big  girls,  really  young  ladies  —  play- 
ing with  dolls ! 

"  It's  a  little  different,"  said  Colinette.  "If  we  just 
sat  down  and  sang  Bye-lo  Baby  Bunting  like  little  girls 
why  then  they  might  laugh;  but  a  little  theatre;  some- 
thing pretty  and  quaint  —  oh,  it  would  be  grand !  " 

"  But  we  should  have  to  crawl  back  and  forth  under- 
ground to  this  place — "  objected  Susan. 

"  That's  where  the  fun  would  come  in."  Colinette 
was  brilliant  in  her  enthusiasm.  Susan  had  never  seen 
her  so  pretty.  And  the  plan  fascinated  Susan  greatly 
also.  She  brought  up  lion  after  lion,  planting  them  in 
the  path,  always  hoping  Colinette  would  slay  them,  and 
Colinette  met  and  overcame  them  one  by  one. 

Jeff  Plummer  would  come  in  here  after  some  of  his 
things  and  discover  the  plot. 

Evidently  Jeff  Plummer  had  ceased  to  care  for  the 
things  cached  in  this  place,  because  he  had  not  been  inside 
this  room  for  weeks  and  could  not  get  in  without  using 
the  underground  passage. 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  115 

A  doll  theatre  like  the  one  outlined  had  never  yet  been 
made,  at  least  Susan  had  never-  heard  of  such  a  one. 

Well,  there  was  a  good  deal  of  credit  in  doing  some- 
thing no  one  had  ever  done  before,  wasn't  there?  That 
was  what  had  made  Christopher  Columbus  famous,  and 
Benjamin  Franklin,  and  all  those  great  ones. 

It  would  be  cold  weather  pretty  soon,  and  they  couldn't 
come  here. 

There  was  a  stove  and  a  pipe  and  a  chimney. 

"  But  the  smoke,"  said  Susan.  "  What  would  the 
Plummers  think  to  see  smoke  coming  out  of  their  store- 
house chimney?  " 

This  was  a  big  lion.  This  was  a  sizable  beast.  Coli- 
nette  decided  to  take  this  one  home  and  slaughter  it  at 
her  leisure. 

"  And  any  amount  of  fuel  in  that  old  Pettingill  cellar, 
too;  boxes  and  barrels  and  chunks  of  real  wood  all  cut 
and  stacked.  What  a  pity !  "  she  sighed.  "  But  it  isn't 
cold  weather  yet,"  she  added,  "  so  why  fret  about  that  ?  " 

"  I  don't  think  we  are  hurting  anybody  by  making  a 
playhouse  of  this  place  so  long  as  we  don't  meddle  with 
things,"  said  Colinette.  "  And  I  haven't  snooped  about 
much.  It's  more  fun  snooping  when  you  have  some- 
body with  you.  And  anyhow  we  mustn't  meddle ;  that's 
where  the  wrong  would  come  in." 

Susan  believed  that  might  be  the  case,  so  they  resolved 
not  to  "  snoop."  They  held  to  this  resolution  as  much 
as  five  minutes,  then  — 

"  What  is  that  tall  frame-like  thing  over  there  by  the 
stove?"  asked  Susan. 

"  That's  a  painter's  easel,  and  a  lovely  one,  too,"  Coli- 


li6  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

nette  informed  her.  "  See?  You  can  run  the  picture 
you  are  working  on  up  to  any  height  by  turning  this 
crank ;  you  can  tip  it  with  this  rod."  She  struck  an  atti- 
tude before  it  and  began  to  paint  largely,  with  an  imag- 
inary brush. 

"  How  have  you  found  out  all  this  if  you  haven't 
snooped  ?  "  demanded  Susan. 

Colinette  did  not  answer.  She  had  just  evolved  a  new 
theory. 

"  Jeff  Plummer  never  painted,  did  he,  Sue  ?  Did  you 
ever  hear  of  Jeff  Plummer  painting  anything?  Did  you 
ever  hear  of  his  father  painting  anything?  Did  you 
ever  hear  of  any  Plummer  painting  pictures?" 

"  I  never  did." 

"  Well,  then,  don't  you  see  ?  These  things  have  been 
left  here  all  these  years!  These  things  belong  to  the 
Brackleys  —  to  that  young  chap  who  painted  here.  He 
just  left  them  —  snakes,  butterflies  and  all  —  because  he 
didn't  want  them  any  more;  and  the  Plummers  don't 
want  them,  and  don't  use  the  building,  and  it  just  stands 
here  going  to  waste.  Like  enough  there  are  brushes  and 
tubes  of  oil  paints  and  —  Oh,  Sue,  let's  open  that  chest 
over  yonder  and  see  what's  in  it !  " 

Five  minutes  later  the  contents  of  the  chest  were  spread 
pretty  evenly  over  the  surrounding  floor  space.  There 
were  brushes,  fitch  and  bristle;  there  was  sketching  can- 
vas on  small  stretchers;  there  was  one  roll  of  fine 
twilled  canvas  of  an  attractive  creamy  hue;  there  were 
two  different-sized  palettes,  and  a  palette-knife;  there 
were  colored  studies  and  torn  and  soiled  copies  of  an 
art  journal,  out  of  print  this  many  a  year,  but  to  Coli- 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  117 

nette,  more  fascinating  than  story  books.  Suscn  thought 
her  spasms  of  rapture  out  of  all  proportion  to  the  find. 

"  Everything  is  sticky  and  soiled,  and  the  paints  seem 
to  be  dried  up,"  she  murmured,  "  and  besides  they  don't 
belong  to  us.     We  mustn't  try  to  use  'em." 

"  Don't  you  see,"  Colinette  explained,  "  they  have  been 
thrown  away.  Nobody  uses  them,  nobody  wants  them, 
and  nobody  will  care  if  we  use  them." 

"  That  may  be  so,  Colinette,  but  if  you  use  these  things 
it's  my  opinion  that  you  will  be  going  by  your  rule  in- 
stead of  by  gram'ma's.  It  will  be :  'If  you  want  some- 
thing awful  bad  go  after  it,'  instead  of  '  Honesty  is  the 
best  policy.'  " 

Colinette  was  silent,  but  she  fairly  caressed  the  tempt- 
ing articles  as  she  replaced  them  in  the  chest  and  Susan 
was  convinced  of  the  ultimate  destiny  of  the  materials. 

"Look  at  the  sun!"  Susan  exclaimed  sharply,  "We 
must  get  out  of  here!"  They  hustled  Rosey  into  her 
box,  Susan  voiced  her  objections  to  the  tunnel  and  ghost 
house  —  much  weaker  now  however  —  and  after  a  pre- 
liminary scrutiny  of  Brown  Street,  they  stepped  forth 
safely  between  the  going  westward  of  Waldo  Pickens  and 
the  going  eastward  of  Gusta  Klatz. 

"  Now  remember,  Sue.  this  secret  must  be  kept  no 
matter  what  happens,"  warned  Colinette. 

"  But  suppose  they  ask  right  out  and  out,  '  Where  have 
you  been  ? '  " 

"  That's  easy.  Where  have  you  been  ?  Where  did 
you  ask  permission  to  go,  and  where  did  you  go?  You 
asked  to  go  on  a  picnic,  didn't  you,  to  Seedy's  Woods? 
Well,  you  went  on  a  picnic.     '  To  Seedy's  Woods  ?  '  ask 


n8  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

the  folks.  '  No,  we  didn't  go  clear  right  into  Seedy's 
Woods,'  you  own  up,  '  we  ate  our  lunch  this  side  of 
Seedy's  Woods,'     Is  there  any  lie  there?" 

Susan  was  worried,  although  somewhat  convinced. 

"  No,  there  doesn't  seem  to  be  any  lie  there  and 
yet—" 

"  Susan,  this  secret  must  be  kept !  You  promised  me 
that  you  would  keep  it,  and  a  broken  promise  is  a  thou- 
sand times  worse  than  a  lie." 

Susan  brightened.  "If  the  worst  comes  to  the  worst," 
she  decided  contentedly,  "  I'll  tell  'em  that  I  promised 
you  not  to  tell,  and  I'll  stick  to  it  and  send  'em  to  you." 

"  That's  right,"  agreed  Colinette,  "  you  send  them  to 
me.  I  can  get  around  any  of  your  family;  it's  grand- 
mother I'm  worrying  about,  because  I  won't  tell  lies  to 
grandmother,  not  for  the  best  old  secret  in  the  world !  " 

Before  they  reached  the  front  walk  of  the  Dunlap 
house  there  was  no  doubt  in  the  mind  of  either  girl 
that  "  the  worst  was  about  to  come  to  the  worst."  The 
Dunlap  front  door  opened  and  the  entire  Dunlap  family, 
reinforced  by  Waldo  and  Rinthy  Pickens  and  Mrs.  Gard, 
boiled  out  to  meet  them. 


X. 

"  Now  I  want  to  know  where  you've  been,  an'  what 
you've  been  a  doin' ! "  demanded  Luther  Dunlap  in  the 
tone  of  voice  which  always  struck  terror  to  the  souls  of 
his  wife  and  step-daughter.  Susan  fairly  crumpled  with 
fear  and  shrank  close  to  the  side  of  Colinette.  That 
young  person  seemed  not  so  much  frightened  as  sur- 
prised. 

"Where  have  you  been!"  she  repeated.  "Been? 
Why  don't  you  ask  grandmother  and  Aunt  Susan  ?  They 
know  where  we  have  been.  They  told  us  we  might  go." 
This  frank  and  innocent  confession  on  the  part  of  the 
head  culprit  was  not  a  fitting  sendoff  for  the  part  Uncle 
Luther  had  determined  to  play. 

"Told  you  you  could  go!  "  he  repeated  inanely. 

"Why,  yes,  Uncle  Luther;  of  course.  Didn't  you, 
grandmother  ?  Didn't  you  tell  us  we  could  go  to  Seedy's 
Woods  on  a  picnic?" 

"  I  did,"  witnessed  Mrs.  Gard  with  much  decision.  It 
was  her  opinion  that  there  was  too  much  fuss  being  made 
over  a  trifling  matter. 

"If  you  had  permission  to  go  what  did  you  lock  Elmer 
up  in  your  grandmother's  woodshed  for?  What  right 
had  you  to  do  such  a  thing?  "  Mr.  Dunlap's  anger  rose 
at  the  thought  of  the  misdemeanor.  His  eyes  bulged 
with  the  strength  of  his  feelings.     Colinette  turned  eyes 

XI9 


no  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

which  also  bulged  in  the  direction  of  the  wronged  Elmer. 

"In  grandmother's  woodshed?"  she  murmured,  vis- 
ibly bewildered,  "In  grandmother's  woodshed?  Why, 
Elmer,  were  you  in  grandmother's  woodshed  when  we 
left  home  today  —  grandmother  and  I  ?  And  what  in  the 
world  were  you  doing  in  grandmother's  woodshed  ?  And 
why  didn't  you  call  out  when  you  heard  me  locking  up? 
You  knew  that  we  always  lock  up  the  woodshed  and 
the  house  when  we  go  away.  Why,  for  pity's  sake! 
And  who  let  you  out?  " 

"  Nobody  let  me  out !  "  Elmer  blurted  forth. 

"  Then  you  must  be  in  there  yet,"  ventured  Colinette, 
and  Susan  gulped  down  a  snicker. 

"  I  mean  nobody  let  me  out  till  gram'ma  come  home 
just  a  little  while  ago!" 

"  There,  I  told  you  so,  Luther,"  soothed  Mrs.  Gard, 
seconded  by  Mrs.  Dunlap,  who,  it  seemed,  had  also  "  told 
him  so,"  but  had  been  disregarded. 

"  Didn't  you  intend  to  lock  Elmer  up  in  the  wood- 
shed?" questioned  Aunt  Rinthy  Pickens,  with  her  most 
disagreeable  smile. 

"  Oh,  she  didn't;  I  know  she  didn't,"  witnessed  Susan 
promptly  and  innocently,  "  because  when  we  started  for 
—  the  picnic  we  wondered  if  he  wouldn't  tag  along." 

"  And  so  you  locked  him  up  in  the  woodshed !  "  Luther 
was  regaining  his  momentum,  lost  during  Colinette's  tes- 
timony. 

"  I  ?  "  There  was  a  disdainful  quaver  at  the  corners 
of  Colinette's  mouth.  "  Do  you  think,  Uncle  Luther, 
that  I  am  big  enough  and  strong  enough  to  drag  a  great 
boy  like  Elmer  into  a  woodshed  and  lock  him  in?     If  he 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  121 

happened  to  be  in  the  woodshed  when  I  locked  the  door 
and  never  called  out  or  anything,  I  don't  see  how  I  was 
to  know.  And  what  were  you  doing  in  our  woodshed 
anyhow,  Elmer  ?  " 

Elmer's  explanation  was  not  especially  satisfactory, 
and  his  father  saved  him  the  necessity  of  finishing  it. 

"  Don't  make  any  difference  what  Elmer  was  doin'  in 
the  woodshed;  if  it  comes  to  that  I  guess  he's  got  about 
as  much  business  in  that  woodshed  as  you  have  — " 

Mrs.  Gard  was  not  in  the  habit  of  disputing  her  son- 
in-law,  but  in  this  matter  she  felt  that  he  was  exceeding 
his  authority  to  a  degree  not  to  be  put  up  with. 

"  You  are  mistaken,  Luther.  Elmer  don't  cut  an'  pile 
the  kindlin'  in  that  woodshed,  and  she  does;  he  don't 
bring  in  the  coal  an'  the  potatoes.     She  does !  " 

"  She  —  she  wrote  a  note  to  Susan  an'  put  it  under 
the  lampmat  on  the  settin'-room  table.  She  said  she  had 
a  big  secret  an'  Susan  was  to  go  over  to  her  woodshed 
about  three  o'clock — " 

"  A  secret !  —  woodshed  — "  Colinette  was  to  all  ap- 
pearances floundering  in  a  perfect  fog  of  misunderstand- 
ing in  regard  to  the  note.     Suddenly  she  remembered. 

"  Oh  —  o  —  o  —  o  —  h!  I  know ;  it  was  about  the 
sparrow's  nest,  Susan."  She  turned  upon  Elmer  sav- 
agely. "  That  note  was  in  an  envelope  and  sealed  and 
addressed  to  Susan.  What  business  had  you  opening 
it?" 

"  I  think,"  said  Aunt  Rinthy  Pickens,  "  we  just  better 
hush  up  about  the  hull  business.  Elmer  hadn't  any  busi- 
ness in  the  woodshed,  an'  Colinette  hadn't  any  business 
with  secrets.     It  don't  become  little  girls  to  have  secrets, 


122  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

even  about  birds'  nests.  If  Helen  had  secrets  she 
wouldn't  tell  her  ma  I'd  look  into  the  matter  with  a 
switch ! " 

"  No,  an'  our  girls  didn't  use  to  have  'em  till  after 
John's  girl  come  here  to  live,"  said  Luther  Dunlap,  "  and 
now  it  seems  as  if  the  dickens  is  to  pay  the  whole  time!  " 

"  If  I  felt  that  John's  girl  wasn't  havin'  a  good  influ- 
ence over  my  girl  I'd  fix  that  pretty  quick,"  said  Mrs. 
Pickens,  and  smiled  from  ear  to  ear.  "  I'd  just  nat'chully 
forbid  them  havin'  anything  to  say  to  each  other.  I 
guess  that  would  fix  things." 

"  Well,  seems  to  me  we've  found  out  that  we've  all 
been  makin'  a  big  fuss  over  nothing,"  said  Mrs.  Gard, 
more  ruffled  than  her  relatives  had  ever  seen  her  before. 
"  John  Gard  was  a  good  boy,  and  it's  natural  for  Gards 
to  behave  themselves,  say  what  you  will.  It  kind  of  runs 
in  the  blood.  Fact  is,  sometimes  I  have  thought  they 
was  too  meek  to  stick  up  for  their  rights.  I  know  John 
was,  and  I  don't  think  John's  girl  could  be  anything  but 
good  if  she  tried.  So,  Luther,  don't  you  fret  about  her 
spoilin'  Susan.  You  just  keep  a  hitch  on  Elmer  and 
teach  him  to  kind  of  keep  his  fingers  out  of  things  which 
ain't  any  affairs  of  his.  Come  on  now,  Colinette,  you've 
cleared  your  skirts  pretty  well  I  think;  we  must  go 
home  an'  git  some  supper." 

It  was  a  new  angle  on  Mrs.  Gard's  disposition  thus 
suddenly  brought  to  view.  Luther  Dunlap  had  dom- 
ineered over  her  and  her  two  Susans  for  so  long  that  he 
could  scarcely  believe  his  ears  at  this  declaration  of  in- 
dependence. He  stood  speechless,  watching  Susan  Gard 
and  her  grand-daughter  disappear  into  their  own  house. 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  123 

"  Well,  I  never  see  the  beat  of  that !  "  declared  Rinthy 
Pickens,  smiling  as  if  she  were  viewing  some  rare  pic- 
ture, while  her  brother  came  slowly  out  of  his  trance. 
"  She  can  just  wrap  Gram'ma  Gard  round  her  little  finger, 
can't  she?  And  you,  too,  Susan.  I  never  saw  such  a 
gump  as  you  are  over  that  girl.  Why  don't  you  ever 
come  up  to  see  Helen  and  hear  her  play?  She's  got  a 
bran  new  piece,  an',  act'chlly,  her  music  teacher  says  that 
she  never  saw  a  girl  that  — " 

"  Well,  I  want  my  supper !  "  her  brother  broke  in  im- 
politely.    His  interest  in  Helen's  music  was  slight. 

Before  the  meal  progressed  very  far  Gusta  Klatz  ar- 
rived breathless. 

"  I  went  clear  over  to  Seedy's  grove,  but  I  couldn't  see 
nothing  of  —  Why,  Susan,  are  you  home?" 

"  Then  you  must  have  gone  right  by  the  place  where 
we  ate  our  lunch,"  said  Susan.  "  We  had  an  aw'ful  good 
time.     I  wish  you  had  been  there,  Gusta." 

"Why  didn't  you  ask  Helen  to  go?"  smiled  Rinthy 
Pickens. 

"  I  s'pose  they  thought  you  wouldn't  have  wanted  her 
to  go  —  with  John's  girl,"  said  Mrs.  Dunlap,  and  again 
Luther  Dunlap  was  startled.  Was  it  possible  that  John 
Gard's  girl  had  come  into  the  family  to  upset  all  order 
and  authority?  Was  her  baleful  and  wholly  intangible 
influence  affecting  even  his  meek  wife? 

I  can  see  where  you  are  comin'  off  at  in  regards  to 
Gram'ma  Gard's  property,"  said  Waldo  Pickens,  nodding 
and  winking  wisely.  "  John's  girl  will  git  every  cent 
of  it,  now  you  mark  my  words.  I  see  it  sticking  out  like 
a  sore  thumb.     Best  thing  you  can  do  is  to  persuade  her 


124  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

to  make  her  will  before  things  go  any  farther.  Woman 
of  her  age  is  liable  to  drop  off  any  old  day  an'  then 
where'll  you  be! " 

"  Grandmother,"  said  Colinette  that  night,  "  you 
mustn't  depend  on  my  being  good  just  because  —  my 
father  was  good.  I  think  I  must  have  —  must  have  — 
taken  after  my  mother.  It's  very  hard  for  me  to  be 
good." 

"  I  do  think  it  is  harder  for  some  folks  to  be  good  than 
it  is  for  others,"  owned  Mrs.  Gard.  "  Not  that  I  don't 
suppose  for  one  minute  that  your  mother  wasn't  just  as 
good  as  your  father.  She  must  have  been  good  or  John 
Wouldn't  have  taken  a  notion  to  her.  John  never  was 
much  of  a  hand  to  go  with  folks  that  wa'n't  good.  Yes, 
it  may  be  harder  work  for  some  of  us  to  be  good  than 
it  is  for  others,  but  when  we  begin  to  realize  our  badness 
there  is  some  hope  for  us.  And  we  all  know  where  to 
go  for  help." 

Colinette  mused  long  and  deeply  that  night  over  her 
grandmother's  words,  and  she  lingered  at  her  bedside  a 
long  time  before  being  able  to  make  up  her  mind  whether 
or  not  she  should  do  as  her  grandmother  advised  and 
ask  in  her  prayers  to  be  made  good.  At  last  she  went  to 
bed  without  saying  her  prayers  at  all.  She  was  ashamed 
to  ask  God  for  something  she  did  not  want.  There 
would  be  no  use;  He  could  read  her  heart.  She  had  a 
great  mind  to  get  up,  go  to  her  grandmother's  bed  and 
lay  the  whole  case  before  her.  If  it  were  not  for  the 
fact  that  she  had  insisted  upon  Susan's  absolute  secrecy 
she  would  have  done  so.  She  did  not  believe  that  what 
she  and  Susan  were  doing  was  so  very  wicked  at  the 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  125 

worst.  Her  conscience  was  clear  so  far  as  the  old  Pettin- 
gill  House  was  concerned,  the  secret  passage,  the  Plum- 
mer  storehouse;  in  fact,  everything  up  to  that  seductive 
box  of  colors.  That  was  where  the  powers  of  darkness 
were  threatening  her.  To  use  those  paints  would  be 
theft,  there  was  no  dodging  that  fact. 

For  an  hour  after  she  had  drawn  the  covers  over  her 
she  was  still  awake  and  going  over  the  matter  in  her 
mind.  Suddenly  she  sat  up  in  bed  and  clasped  her  hands 
in  the  joy  of  a  great  relief. 

"  Flake  white,  vermillion,  madder  lake,  yellow  ochre 
—  I  have  them  all  left  over  from  the  painting  of  Rosey ! 
A  tube  of  permanent  blue,  one  of  cobalt,  cadmium,  black, 
and  one  of  Indian  red  is  all  I  need  to  paint  almost  any- 
thing !  I'll  use  those  old  window  blinds  out  in  the  wood- 
shed and  borrow  the  brushes  and  palette-knife  —  why  a 
dollar  will  buy  all  that  I  need  and  if  I  can't  earn  a  dollar 
I  am  a  weak  sister!  " 

She  climbed  out  of  bed,  knelt  down,  said  her  prayers, 
climbed  back  again  and  was  asleep  in  five  minutes. 

The  next  day  her  grandmother  was  astonished  at  the 
work  she  did.  She  flashed  about  the  kitchen  washing 
up  the  dishes,  and  while  her  grandmother  made  dough- 
nuts she  cleaned  the  parlor,  handling  the  precious  things 
on  the  whatnot  so  deftly  and  daintily  that  Mrs.  Gard 
paused  fork  in  hand  to  admire  her  progress.  Her  own 
room,  her  grandmother's,  the  front  porch  and  the  back 
steps  were  gone  over  and  shone  with  cleanliness  and 
order.  Then  with  her  grandmother's  consent  she  went 
across  to  Susan's  house  to  ask  if  Susan  might  walk  down 
to  the  library  with  her. 


126  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

"  Certainly  Susan  may  go,"  said  Susan's  mother  with 
so  much  decision  that  Colinette  was  surprised. 

"  We've  had  flurries  over  at  our  house,"  Susan  con- 
fided to  her  cousin.  "  My  mother  read  the  riot  act  to 
pa  last  night.  She  said  that  all  my  life  I'd  been  put  upon 
and  abused  by  the  Dunlap  boys,  and  hereafter  she  wasn't 
going  to  stand  it.  She  said  she  had  been  a  good  mother 
to  his  boys  and  done  for  them  as  a  mother  should,  but 
she  didn't  consider  that  he  had  done  as  much  toward  being 
a  father  to  me  as  he  might  have.  I  was  out  behind  the 
house  and  the  south  bedroom  window  was  open  and  I 
heard  her  say  that.  He  said  that  all  this  fuss  had  come 
about  through  John's  girl  coming  here  to  live.  Ma  said 
John's  girl  had  nothing  to  do  with  it.  He  said  that  you 
just  had  gram'ma  hypnotized." 

"  He's  mistaken,"  said  Colinette  soberly,  "  But  grand- 
mother has  me  hypnotized  if  being  hypnotized  means  one 
person  doing  just  about  what  another  person  wants  them 
to  do.  And  that's  what  it  means,  doesn't  it?  Shall  we 
pop  in  and  take  a  look  at  Rosey?  " 

Colinette  was  surprised  at  the  readiness  with  which 
Susan  acquiesced  to  this  suggestion.  Already  she  seemed 
to  have  lost  a  great  deal  of  her  dread  of  the  old  Pettingill 
place,  so  surely  does  familiarity  breed  contempt. 

They  found  Rosey  safe  and  smiling.  They  took  her 
from  her  box  and  stood  her  on  the  melodion  top  and 
admired  her  lifelike  poses. 

"  I'm  going  to  make  her  a  lot  of  new  clothes,"  declared 
her  owner  enthusiastically. 

"  I  wish  she  had  a  little  chair  to  sit  in  and  a  table 
to  lay  a  little  book  on,"  said  Colinette. 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  127 

"  Villie  Klatz  could  make  them ;  he's  as  handy  as  any- 
thing with  tools." 

The  light  of  speculation  shone  in  Colinette's  eyes. 

"  Is  the  Morning  Glory  Club  composed  entirely  of 
girls?  "  she  asked. 

"Oh,  no;  they  have  boys,  too." 

"  We  shall  have  boys,  too,  then,  in  our  above-the-rail- 
road  club." 

"  Are  you  going  to  call  it  the  Above-the-Railroad 
Club?" 

"  I  don't  think  so;  that  name  is  sort  of  —  of  common. 
Our  club  is  going  to  be  the  most  uncommon  club  that 
ever  was." 

"  You'll  fail  up  on  that,  Colinette.  You  can't  make  an 
uncommon  thing  out  of  common  material,  and  that's  all 
you  will  have  to  work  with  — awful  common  material." 

"  They  make  lovely  china  dishes  out  of  clay.  I  think 
if  we  have  lots  of  mystery  and  daring  and  exciting  ad- 
ventures in  it  that  it  will  be  different." 

"  You  might  have  all  that  if  you  could  get  some  of 
the  big  boys  to  join." 

"  Let's  ask  Villie  Klatz." 

"  Oh,  Villie  Klatz !  "     Susan's  tone  was  scornful. 

"Who  then?" 

"  Well,  if  you  want  daring  —  and  —  er,  adventure  and 
all,  you  might  ask  Jeff  Plummer.  Only  I  know  that  Jeff 
Plummer  would  never  fuss  around  with  a  lot  of  little 
girls  playing  with  dolls.  Jeff  Plummer  is  almost  a  man 
grown.  He's  a  good  deal  older  than  Villie  Klatz,  al- 
though he  isn't  as  —  sort  of  coarse  and  big  as  Villie 
Klatz," 


128  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

"  Our  club  isn't  going  to  be  a  beauty  show  if  I  can 
help  it,"  said  Colinette.  "  We  are  not  going  to  invite 
the  fair ;  we  want  the  brave.  Let's  fix  up  a  fearful  initia- 
tion !     We'll  have  a  club  motto  — " 

"  Why  not  yours :  'If  You  Want  Anything  Very 
Much,  Go  After  It'?" 

"Why,  that's  the  very  thing!  If  you  want  —  Why, 
Sue,  that  is  just  what  our  club  will  stand  for  —  getting 
what  we  want.  Let's  ask  Gusta  and  Villie  Klatz  to  join, 
and  your  brothers  — " 

"  Oh,  they  never  would." 
.    *  And  Helen  Pickens." 

"And  Jeff  Plummer— " 

"  Let  me  see-e-e ;  that  would  make  eight,  about  all  we 
should  want.  Could  you  see  some  of  them,  Sue?  And 
which  ones  would  you  rather  ask  ?  " 

"I  won't  ask  Villie  Klatz!" 

"Why  not?" 

"  He's  always  standing  and  gazing  at  me  —  makes  me 
sick!" 

"  I'll  ask  Villie,  then,  and  you  ask  Gusta  and  — " 

"  I'll  ask  Jeff  Plummer  if  you  want  me  to." 

"  That  will  be  nice ;  you  know  him  better  than  I 
do." 

"  But  I  won't  ask  Bob  and  Elmer." 

"  All  right.  You  choose  the  ones  you'd  rather  ask 
and  I'll  take  what's  left.  Perhaps  we'd  better  ask  only 
two  at  a  time  —  yes,  I'm  sure  that  will  be  best,  because 
we  can't  initiate  but  one  at  a  time." 

They  decided  on  the  two  Klatzes  as  their  first  venture, 
Susan   to   approach   Gusta,    Colinette,    Gusta's   brother. 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  129 

Two  days  later  Susan  went  across  the  road  to  report  to 
her  chief.  She  found  Mrs.  Gard  giving  Colinette  a  les- 
son in  needlework. 

"  Never  see  anybody  learn  to  use  a  needle  so  quick 
in  my  life!  "  triumphed  Mrs.  Gard.  "  I  tell  you,  Susan, 
if  she  shoots  ahead  with  her  school  affairs  as  fast  as  she 
does  with  her  dressmakin',  you  girls  will  have  to  make 
the  gravel  fly  to  keep  up  with  her  —  you  an'  Helen. 
Susan's  always  been  handy  with  her  needle,  too,"  Mrs. 
Gard  explained  to  Colinette,  and  Susan  wondered  how 
her  cousin  could  look  so  sober  and  so  innocent. 

"  I  am  going  to  make  grandmother  a  whole  dress  as 
soon  as  —  as  I  can  sew  well  enough,"  said  Colinette,  fold- 
ing her  work  carefully. 

"  She's  going  up  to  Pickenses  on  an  errand  for  me ; 
why  don't  you  go  with  her?  " 

Susan  could  not  go,  but  she  walked  with  her  up  the 
road  a  little  way. 

"  Gusta'll  join,"  she  announced,  "  but  she  wants  to 
know  the  name  of  the  club  that  she  is  going  to  join.  I 
told  her  that  we  hadn't  named  it  yet.  She  wanted  to 
know  if  it  was  going  to  be  like  the  Morning  Glory  Club. 
I  said  I  thought  so  — " 

"  It  isn't,"  said  Colinette,  "  it's  going  to  be  altogether 
different.  It's  going  to  stand  for  bravery  and  ambi- 
tion." 

"Oh!" 

"  It's  going  to  be  very  secret  and  exciting  —  sort  of  — 
why  —  like  bandits,  or  highway  robbers — " 

"  Oh,  goodness !  I  don't  believe  Gusta  will  like  that 
at  all !     Gusta  likes  fashion  magazines  and  crochet  better 


130  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

than  anything  else.  Did  you  ever  hear  of  a  bandit  who 
liked  to  crochet  ?  " 

"  No,  but  if  we  make  a  sewing  society  of  it  do  you 
think  Villie  Klatz  will  ever  learn  to  crochet  ?  Now  there 
you  have  it,  Sue." 

"  Yes,  and  you  can't  make  that  kind  of  a  club  success- 
ful," objected  Susan.  "  You've  got  to  have  a  club  made 
up  of  members  who  like  to  do  the  same  things.  If  a 
crochet  club,  why  then  let  it  be  a  crochet  club;  if  a  pirate 
gang,  why  pirates  it  is  — " 

"  Oh,  here  comes  Villie  now,"  cut  in  Colinette.  "  Run 
along  back  and  let  me  talk  with  him  alone." 

Susan  ran  readily  enough. 

"Wat  made  her  run?"  inquired  Villie  with  a  hurt 
expression,  looking  straight  over  Colinette' s  head  at  the 
figure  now  nearing  her  own  steps. 

"  She  ran  away  so  that  I  could  talk  to  you  alone, 
Villie,"  explained  Colinette.  Villie  looked  resigned,  but 
not  pleased. 

"  Well,  go  on." 

"  Villie,  is  there  something  you  want  more  than  any- 
thing else  in  the  world  ?  " 

"Huh?" 

"  Is  there  something  you  long  for,  but  have  never  been 
able  to  get  ?  " 

"  Uh-huh,"  owned  Villie  shyly. 

"  Well,  now,  you're  just  the  boy  we  want.  We  are 
getting  up  a  club  — " 

"Huh?" 

"  A  club ;  a  society  —  a  gang,  perhaps  would  be  a  bet- 
ter word — " 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  131 

"  Oh,  I  see,"  said  Villie,  "  that  there  Morning  Glory 
Club;  I  know  now  what  you  mean.  I  guess  you'll  have 
to  excoose  me  — " 

"  Ours  is  going  to  stand  for  everything  that  the  Morn- 
ing Glory  Club  doesn't  stand  for.  We  aren't  going  to 
dress  up  and  dance  and  be  fine  and  all  that ;  we  are  going 
to  be  sort  of  —  pirates;  sort  of  robbers,  but  perfectly 
honest  — " 

"  Why,  I  never  heard  of  such  a  thing!  "  declared  hon- 
est Villie  Klatz,  now  thoroughly  at  sea. 

"  What  I  mean  is  this  "  :  Colinette  paused  and  searched 
her  mind  for  the  key  with  which  to  unlock  Villie's  mind 
and  deliver  the  message.  "  What  makes  you  like  to  read 
detective  stories,  and  ghost  stories,  and  pirate  stories  ?  " 

Villie  now  searched  his  mind  for  the  answer. 

"  It  isn't  because  you  like  the  murder  part,  or  the  rob- 
bery, is  it?  " 

"  No,  I  guess  it  ain't."  Villie  was  open  enough  to 
conviction  if  this  pretty  golden  girl  could  explain  satis- 
factorily. 

"  No,  of  course  it  isn't.  It's  because  you  like  the  ex- 
citement of  it  —  the  descriptions  of  dark  nights  and  dar- 
ing men  who  go  all  scrooched  over,  like  this !  "  Coli- 
nette assumed  a  conventional  sleuth  attitude. 

"Ye-ah!  I  guess  that's  it,"  declared  Villie,  contem- 
plating this  feminine  crook  with  admiration. 

"  Well,  we're  going  to  have  all  that  in  our  club.  We 
are  going  to  meet  secretly  in  a  fearful  place  — " 

"Gosh!"  breathed  Villie. 

"  The  initiation  is  going  to  be  frightful ! "  Villie 
was  beginning  to  be  interested.     "  Shall  you  be  afraid?  " 


132  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

"Me?     Oh,  no." 

"  Then  we  want  you  to  be  a  member.  The  test  of 
membership  in  our  club  is  to  be,  first,  bravery;  next, 
ambition.  You've  got  to  be  brave  to  get  into  the  club 
and  after  you  are  in,  you  must  be  ambitious." 

"  I  don't  yust  git  that  last,"  owned  Villie. 

"  Well,  you  must  want  something  very  much,  and  go 
after  it.  That's  to  be  the  club's  motto  —  if  you  want  a 
certain  thing,  go  after  it.  That  means  work  and  scheme 
and  save  to  get  it.  And,"  Colinette  added  with  a  happy 
inspiration,  "  you  must  take  a  solemn  vow  to  help  all  the 
other  members  of  the  club  to  get  what  they  are  working 
for." 

"  I'd  do  that,"  promised  Villie. 

"  Now,  what  is  to  be  your  ambition  ?  " 

"Have  I  got  to  tell  it?" 

"  No,  you  haven't  got  to,  Villie ;  only  I  thought  I 
might  be  better  able  to  help  you  if  I  knew  —  of  course, 
we  mustn't  have  any  dishonest  ambition." 

"  Well,  this  will  be  the  funniest  pirates'  club  I  ever 
seen,"  owned  Villie  with  a  chuckle.  "  But  I  don't  want 
anything  bad  like  that.  I'll  tell  you,  Cullinette,  if  you 
won't  never  tell." 

"  I  won't  tell  anybody,  Villie." 

"  Well,  then,  I  would  got  an  ambition  to  be  Susan's 
feller." 

For  a  moment  Colinette  was  startled  into  dumbness. 
She  stood  gazing  at  Villie  without  speaking.  Then  she 
said  very  gently,  "  I'm  afraid  Susan  —  I'm  afraid  —  she 
likes  somebody  else  better,  Villie." 

"  I  was  afraid  of  that  myself,"  owned  Villie. 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  133 

"Yes,"  said  Colinette  sadly.  "Couldn't  you  —  pick 
out  —  something  —  sort  of  —  not  so  complicated  to  be- 
gin with?  " 

"Oh,  yes,"  sighed  Villie,  "I'd  like  a  box  of  good 
tools  first  rate." 

"  Now  that's  something  like,"  Colinette  assured  him. 
"  That  fits  in  with  the  club  ambition  a  good  deal  better. 
Susan  and  I  are  ambitious  to  get  up  a  dolls'  theatre  — " 

"Is  she  goin'  to  belong?"  Villie  showed  his  delight. 

"  Yes." 

"  She  ain't  goin'  to  be  the  boss  of  it,  is  she?  " 

"  No,  I  think  I  shall  be  the  boss  for  awhile,"  confessed 
Colinette. 

"  Well,  you  can  count  me  in,"  promised  Villie. 

"  Thank  you,  Villie.  And  Gusta  is  going  to  belong, 
too.     What  is  her  great  ambition,  Villie;  do  you  know?  " 

"  Oh,  things  to  go  on,  I  guess,"  said  Villie,  and  they 
parted  without  Colinette  being  sure  in  her  mind  as  to 
what  Villie  meant  by  his  sister's  ambition  being  "  for 
things  to  go  on." 

Colinette  also  forgot  to  deliver  her  grandmother's  mes- 
sage, which  was  to  ask  if  Villie  could  come  to  their 
house  and  spade  up  the  strawberry  bed  within  the  next 
two  or  three  days.  She  mended  that  fault,  however,  by 
a  hard  run,  which  enabled  her  to  overtake  Villie  two 
blocks  beyond  the  railroad  track,  where  she  delivered  the 
message. 

"  Say,  now,  what's  the  name  of  this  here  pirates' 
club?  "  demanded  Villie,  and  Colinette  could  only  prom- 
ise that  the  name  would  be  revealed  at  the  initiation. 


XI 

Colinette  waited  until  the  masculine  members  of  the 
Dunlap  family  went  their  several  ways,  then  she  ran 
across  the  road  and  "  hoo-hooed  "  for  Susan,  who  came 
out,  dish-towel  in  hand,  and  with  a  look  of  expectation. 
Nowadays  when  Colinette  came  running  over  this  way 
there  was  always  something  to  expect. 

"  News !  "  announced  Colinette. 

"  Come  on  in,"  invited  Susan  eagerly.  "  Ma's  just 
starting  for  your  house;  we'll  be  all  alone  and  you  can 
tell  me  while  I  finish  the  dishes.  I've  got  news  for  you, 
too;  good  news." 

"  Oh,  lovely !     What's  your  news  ?  " 

"  Wait  till  ma  goes."  When  her  mother  had  gone 
Susan  told  her  news.  "  You  remember  that  your  birth- 
day is  pretty  soon,  now,  don't  you,  Colinette?  "  A  slow 
pink  crept  into  Colinette's  cheeks. 

"Yes." 

"  Well,  gram'ma  is  going  to  give  you  a  grand  present." 

"Money?"  breathed  Colinette  hopefully.  Nothing 
would  be  more  acceptable  just  now  when  her  necessities 
in  connection  with  the  club  and  theatre  were  pressing 
upon  her. 

"  Oh,  better  than  money."     Colinette  sobered. 

"  I  would  rather  have  money  than  anything  else  just 

134 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  135 

now.  Is  it  another  dress  ?  I  really  don't  need  any  more 
clothes." 

"  It  ain't  anything  to  wear;  it's  better  than  that." 

"  Dear  grandmother !  I  shall  love  it  whatever  it  is  be- 
cause she  gives  it  to  me." 

"  You're  an  awful  good  girl,  Colinette." 

"I?  Oh,  no,  Sue.  I'm  so  bad  I  just  have  to  keep 
holding  myself  in  all  the  time.  I'll  begin  to  want  to  do 
something  like  getting  up  this  pirate  club,  or  this  doll 
theatre,  and  after  I'm  so  interested  and  so  excited  over 
it  that  I  can't  sleep  nights,  I  find  out  it's  wicked.  Then 
I  sort  of  hint  it  to  grandmother  and  she  makes  me  pray 
over  it.  And  it  simply  rubs  the  fun  all  out  of  the  pirate 
business  —  praying  about  it.  Grandmother  never  ques- 
tions or  delves  into  my  secrets  and  makes  me  tell  and 
then  scolds  me.  She  just  takes  it  for  granted  that  I 
want  to  be  good  if  I  only  know  how,  and  that  I'll  know 
how  if  I  ask  to  be  guided.  I  think  she  is  the  most  won- 
derful woman  in  the  whole  world !  " 

"  Now  ain't  it  queer !  You  think  she  is  wonderful, 
and  my  father  is  always  calling  her  '  a  foolish  old  woman.' 
Why,  he  thinks  she  just  don't  know  anything.  So  do  the 
Pickenses." 

Colinette' s  eyes  grew  suddenly  dark.  She  drew  in  her 
lips  and  snatched  up  the  dish-towel.  "  I'll  dry  them," 
she  said  in  a  voice  freighted  with  emotion.  For  a 
time  she  even  forgot  the  news  which  she  had  come  with 
so  much  swiftness  to  tell.     Then  — 

"  Oh,  I  found  some  lovely  things  down  town  yester- 
day —  just  lovely !  I  brought  them  over  to  show  you." 
She  dried  her  hands  carefully  and  took  a  little  box  from 


136  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

her  pocket,  took  off  the  lid  and  Susan  peeped  at  the  con- 
tents. "  Twelve ! "  breathed  Colinette.  "  One  with 
green  eyes,  and  bigger  than  the  rest." 

The  twelve  were  enameled  pins  in  the  shape  of  bats. 
They  were  black  with  red  garnet  eyes,  all  save  one,  whose 
emerald  orbs  were  somewhat  larger  than  the  others  and 
very  brilliant  and  striking.  Their  impish  little  faces  were 
well  defined  for  such  small  space  as  the  designer  had  had 
at  his  disposal. 

"  They  are  to  be  our  club  badges,"  explained  Colinette. 
"  It  all  came  to  me  the  moment  I  saw  them  in  the  jeweler's 
window.  I  went  in  and  asked  about  them.  He  had  just 
got  them  in  and  hadn't  sold  a  one.  He  had  just  the  even 
dozen  and  I  took  them  all." 

"  How  much  were  they?  " 

"  Five  dollars." 

"  Five  —  Why,  Colinette  Gard,  where  did  you  get 
the  money?" 

"  I  didn't  have  any  money.  The  jeweler  trusted 
me." 

"  Why-e-e-e,  Colinette,  gram'ma  will  be  so  mad  at  you 
she'll  whip  you !  And  where  will  you  get  the  five  dollars 
to  pay  the  jeweler?  " 

"  That's  why  I  hoped  grandmother's  birthday  present 
would  be  money." 

"  It  isn't  money,  but  it  cost  money.  Or  they  cost 
money ;  there  are  two  of  'em." 

"  I  don't  need  two  of  anything,"  mused  Colinette. 
"  Maybe  I  can  sell  one  of  them  to  the  Pickenses,  or  to 
somebody." 

"  No,  you  can't.     They  cost  gram'ma  more  than  five 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  137 

dollars,  but  nobody  in  the  world  would  give  you  five 
cents  apiece  for  them.  But  you  will  be  just  ticked  clean 
to  death  with  them.     Ma  thinks  you  will  be,  too." 

"  Oh,  shoes !     guessed  Colinette. 

"  No ;  and  shoes  wouldn't  cost  five  dollars  and  more  I 
should  hope.  And  now  you've  gone  and  run  in  debt  to 
the  jeweler/' 

"  But  don't  you  see,  Sue,  we  just  had  to  have  them. 
Why  it  was  wonderful !  The  minute  my  eye  lighted  on 
them  in  the  window  I  said,  '  We  must  have  'em.'  And 
here  they  are,  the  whole  twelve  of  them,  and  one  differ- 
ent from  the  rest  and  prettier  —  that's  for  the  leader. 
The  name  of  the  club  will  be  'The  Bats';  see?  Short 
and  sort  of  fits  us.  We  swing  about  nights  through  the 
dark ;  we  dart ;  we  fly ;  we  bewilder  people ;  they  look  for 
us  and  we  are  gone,  but  —  we  know  what  we  want,  and 
we  go  after  it.  It  all  came  to  me  as  I  stood  there  at  the 
jeweler's  counter,  and  I  wouldn't  have  let  these  pins  go, 
nor  had  him  sell  one  to  somebody  else  for  worlds !  "  She 
closed  the  box  with  a  caressing  motion  and  clasped  it 
lovingly  in  her  hands  before  she  put  it  back  in  her  pocket 
and  resumed  the  drying  of  Susan's  dishes. 

"  I've  thought  out  the  name  and  the  initiation  rites 
and  everything.  Oh,  it's  going  to  be  fun  of  the  wildest 
kind!" 

"  But  I  don't  believe  there  will  be  any  club  at  all,"  per- 
sisted Susan. 

"Yes,  there  will."  Colinette  set  the  dried  milk  jug 
down  with  great  precision  and  almost  unnecessary  gen- 
tleness. 

"  Well,  Jeff  Plummer  won't  join.     I  asked  him,  and  he 


138  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

turned  his  nose  up  and  said  •  Daw !  What  do  I  want  to 
join  clubs  for! '  " 

"  There  are  other  boys  besides  Jeff  Plummer." 

"  Boys  are  all  alike ;  they  will  stick  to  baseball  and  foot- 
ball and  things  like  that,  but  clubs  and  things,  and  Sunday 
schools  and  anything  good,  why  they  just  don't  have 
any  use  for  'em." 

"  We  don't  have  to  have  boys  in  the  Bats'  Club;  there 
are  girls  enough." 

"  Girls  are  worse  than  boys;  they  don't  stick,  either." 

"  We  will  begin  anyhow.  You  and  I  belong  already, 
and  Villie  and  Gusta  Klatz  have  promised  and  are  just 
bubbling  to  be  initiated.  That  makes  almost  half  as 
many  as  you  say  are  in  the  Morning  Glory  Club." 

"  The  Morning  Glories  don't  want  any  more  in  their 
club.  They  say  they  are  very  exclusive !  "  Susan  mi- 
micked. "  They  could  have  fifty  if  they  wanted  'em. 
Why,  Helen  Pickens  would  give  the  two  thumbs  right  off 
her  hands  even  to  be  asked.  So  would  every  gir.l  in 
school  —  yes,  and  every  boy,  too." 

"  Does  —  the  Brackley  boy  belong?  " 

"  Neal  Brackley  wasn't  here  last  year,  but  Rob  says 
he  heard  that  he  is  going  to  stay  this  winter  and  go  to 
our  school,  so  of  course  he'll  belong." 

"  We'll  get  him  first." 

"  Colinette,  you've  got  a  whole  lot  to  learn  that  ain't 
in  your  grammar  and  algebra  when  you  go  to  our  school. 
Why,  do  you  think  that  Neal  Brackley  would  mix  up  with 
the  Gards  and  Dunlaps  and  Klatzes?  He's  high  toned, 
you  must  remember;  not  in  the  Dunlap  and  Pickens 
clawss,  don't  you  know.     Mama  Brackley  is  awful  swag- 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  139 

ger.  She  has  diamonds  and  wears  silk  dresses  every  day, 
and  Papa  Brackley  is  an  awtist  in  N'  Yo'k.  They  are 
way,  way  up  above  the  Calkinses  and  Mertons  even,  say 
nothing  about  the  folks  who  live  above  the  railroad. 
Imagine  Neal  Brackley  with  his  lovely  piano  hands  be- 
longing to  a  club  with  Villie  Klatz  and  —  me!"  Susan 
cackled  harshly. 

Colinette  threw  one  arm  around  her  cousin's  neck  and 
allowed  the  drying  towel  to  hang  down  her  back. 

"  Anybody  could  be  proud  to  belong  to  any  old  club 
with  you,  Sue  Dunlap.  You  are  good  and  grand,  just 
like  grandmother." 

Susan  giggled.  "  Oh,  you  think  so  now,  but  you  wait 
till  you  begin  to  go  to  school;  you'll  find  out  then  what 
an  old  hayseed  crowd  your  relations  are.  Why,  what 
sort  of  school  did  you  go  to  in  the  city,  Colinette,  that 
you  don't  know  all  about  Morning  Glory  Clubs  and  rings 
and  snubs  and  snobs  and  all  that  ?  " 

"  I  never  went  to  public  school  in  the  city,"  said  Coli- 
nette, and  immediately  changed  the  subject.  She  began 
again  about  "  The  Bats." 

"  We  don't  need  to  be  piano-fingered  to  belong  to  The 
Bats;  but  the  members  will  have  to  be  brave  and  ambi- 
tious; and  you  and  I  and  Villie  Klatz  are  that.  I  don't 
know  about  Gusta  and  Helen  Pickens." 

Later  in  the  day  Colinette  came  over  to  Susan's  house 
again.  This  time  Susan  was  in  the  garden  digging  pota- 
toes for  supper.  Elmer,  who  had  been  home  for  two 
hours,  had  eaten  a  great  piece  out  of  a  pie  meant  for  the 
evening  meal  and  now  sprawled  on  the  lounge  reading 
the  sporting  page  of  the  village  paper. 


140  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

"  Grandmother  says  that  if  I  make  her  new  calico  dress 
without  a  single  mistake  she  will  give  me  as  much  as  she 
would  have  had  to  give  Mrs.  Smith  for  making  it,  be- 
sides buying  the  pattern.     That  will  be  three  dollars." 

"  And  you  can  do  it ;  I  know  that,"  said  Susan. 

"  Yes,  I  can  do  it,  but  —  oh,  dear !  I  shall  always  have 
to  do  sewing  after  this,  and  I  just  hate  to  sew." 

"  I  don't,"  said  Susan.  "  I  only  wish  I  didn't  have  to 
do  any  work  more  disagreeable  than  sewing."  She  jabbed 
the  potato  fork  into  a  fresh  hill  and  cleared  away  the 
dead  tops.  The  potatoes  rolled  out,  creamy  white  and 
dry. 

"  Why  don't  Rob  do  this;  or  Elmer?  " 

"  Yes,  why !  Because  ma  can't  make  'em,  and  pa 
won't!  Elmer  never  dug  a  potato  in  his  life  and  never 
will.  Rob  has  now  and  then.  Rob  is  off  working  some- 
where today  at  something  or  other.  Pa  told  him  he'd  got 
to  earn  enough  to  resole  his  shoes  or  else  he  could  go 
barefoot  to  school  this  fall.  I  just  dread  school  begin- 
ning! " 

"Why?" 

"  Because  I've  got  to  wear  the  same  old  dress  that  I 
wore  all  last  winter.  It's  too  small  for  me,  and  it's  got 
gravy  spots  and  paint  spots  and  thin  spots  all  over  it  from 
neck  to  hem." 

"  Now  don't  fret  about  that,  Sue ;  we'll  see  what  we 
can  do  with  it  before  school  begins." 

"  You  ought  to  see  the  cloth  Aunt  Rinthy  carried  home 
today  for  Helen's  new  school  dress.  Gray,  and  just 
lovely!  And  grandmother  will  see  to  it  that  you  have 
something  decent  to  wear,  you  may  be  sure  of  that. 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  141 

You'll  all  look  respectable  but  me,  and  as  usual,  I'll  show 
up  the  first  day  of  school  the  same  big,  black,  clumsy, 
ragged  spotted  bundle  of  junk  that  I  always  have !  " 

Colinette  made  no  reply,  but  there  came  a  strange  look 
in  her  eyes,  a  look  almost  of  suffering.  If  Susan  had 
not  been  so  busy  with  the  last  hill  of  potatoes  she  must 
have  noticed  it;  it  was  so  pronounced. 

"  And  I  talked  with  Helen  today  about  her  ambitions," 
went  on  Susan.  "  She  can't  join  The  Bats ;  she  don't  want 
anything  on  earth.  She  says  her  folks  get  her  every- 
thing she  needs  or  wants  even  before  she  knows  she 
wants  it.  She  says  they  got  her  her  new  piano  even 
before  she  knew  she  wanted  one  at  all.  And  her  glasses 
—  she  never  dreamed  she  wanted  glasses,  and  they  got 
'em  for  her.  And  her  gold  pencil,  and  her  breastpin, 
and  her  mesh  bag,  and  her  teeth  filled  —  oh,  just  every- 
thing. The  only  thing  she  wants  that  she  can't  get  is  a 
little  pale  morning  glory  pin;  she  can't  get  that." 

"  She  shall  have  instead  a  nice  little  red-eyed  black  bat ; 
it's  quainter  than  a  morning  glory." 

14  She  wouldn't  stoop  to  it.  And  besides,  she  ain't  qual- 
ified in  any  particular.  She's  a  big  coward  —  why,  what 
do  you  think  she  would  do  if  she  was  to  wake  up  and 
find  herself  inside  the  old  Pettingill  house?  She'd  blow 
up  —  that's  what  she'd  do !  " 

Colinette  had  a  long  confidential  talk  with  her  grand- 
mother that  night,  and  the  subject  of  the  conversation 
was  school  dresses.  And  in  the  end  Mrs.  Gard  allowed 
herself  to  be  persuaded  that  between  the  four  of  them, 
Aunt  Susan,  Cousin  Susan,  Colinette  and  herself,  they 
could  buy  some  pretty  br own-and-tan  plaid  for  collar, 


i42  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

cuffs  and  patch  pockets,  and  make  over  the  despised 
brown  dress  of  Susan's  into  something  that  Susan  would 
not  be  ashamed  to  wear  among  her  mates. 

"  You  see,"  argued  Colinette,  "  Sue  is  large  and  sort 
of  dark;  she  needs  to  be  dressed  better  than  I  do.  A 
little  reddish  thing  like  me  can  wear  almost  any  old  rag 
of  a  dress.  Sue  is  really  a  pretty  girl.  Let's  fix  her  up 
so  that  Gertie  Calkins  herself  won't  look  any  better." 

There  were  tears  of  pride  in  Mrs.  Gard's  eyes  after  the 
pattern  books  had  been  put  away  and  Colinette  had  gone 
about  the  kitchen  work. 

"  Just  like  her  father,"  sighed  Mrs.  Gard,  "  always 
thinkin'  of  others  before  herself.  She  ain't  got  the  Gard 
complexion,  but  she's  got  the  Gard  disposition,  or,  at 
least,  some  part  of  it."  And  then  she  sat  thinking  a  long 
time.  She  realized  that,  much  as  she  longed  for  Coli- 
nette to  be  like  John,  she  was  not  altogether  like  him — 
not  altogether.  That  queer  rope-handled  satchel  had 
never  come  to  light,  nor  had  any  one  of  those  eleven  red- 
headed maternal  aunts  been  heard  from.  Mrs.  Gard 
doubted  the  existence  of  the  entire  family. 

After  Colinette  was  abed  and  asleep  that  night  Mrs. 
Gard  drew  forth  from  behind  the  whatnot  a  large  square 
package.  It  contained  two  pictures  poorly  done  in 
crayon,  and  framed  in  coarsely  painted  white  frames 
picked  out  with  gilt.  These  she  bore  gently  to  Colinette's 
room  and  hung  on  hooks  which  had  been  already  pre- 
pared for  them. 

Colinette,  sitting  up  in  bed  the  next  morning,  rubbed 
her  eyes  in  amazement.  One  of  the  pictures  was  of  a  man, 
gaunt,   large-eared,   square-headed,   somewhat   dull;   the 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  143 

other  of  a  woman,  round-faced,  black-eyed,  with  a  bulb- 
ous, self-satisfied  nose  and  a  set,  meaningless,  photographic 
smile.     She  wore  glasses,  a  choker  collar  and  beads. 

Colinette's  eyes  grew  suddenly  dark  as  was  their  wont 
under  strong  emotion,  her  lips  were  compressed  into  an 
angry  line,  her  face  unnaturally  pale.  She  got  out  of 
bed  noiselessly,  pulled  on  her  right  shoe,  took  the  woman's 
picture  down  from  the  wall  and  deliberately  stamped  a 
hole  through  the  middle  of  it.  She  tore  out  the  hook 
which  had  supported  it  and  then  before  the  crash  of  glass 
and  pine  backing  had  brought  Mrs.  Gard  to  see  what 
was  the  matter,  she  had  kicked  off  the  devastating  shoe 
and  was  back  in  bed,  covered  to  the  ears  and  whispering 
fiercely,  "  I  just  couldn't !  All  through  the  years  to  come ! 
I  just  couldn't !  " 

"  Oh,  my  sakes ! "  cried  Mrs.  Gard,  "  your  mother's 
picture  busted  all  to  bits !     My,  oh  my !  ain't  it  too  bad !  " 

Colinette  sat  up  in  bed  as  if  just  awakened.  She  had 
regained  her  composure;  in  fact,  her  face  showed  just 
the  amount  of  startled  amazement  which  that  of  a  person 
aroused  from  sound  sleep  by  a  crash  of  splintering  glass 
might  be  expected  to  exhibit. 

"  Ain't  it  too  bad !  "  repeated  Mrs.  Gard.  "  They  was 
your  birthday  present.  I  had  'em  done  by  a  man  who 
come  round  and  took  'em  to  the  city  to  enlarge.  I  can't 
see  how  it  happened  —  I  thought  I  saw  to  it  that  them 
hooks  was  solid — "  She  examined  the  hole  in  the 
plaster  from  which  the  hook  had  been  torn,  and  then 
turned  again  to  the  shattered  picture.  "  It  wouldn't  have 
been  so  bad  if  it  had  been  John's  picture,  because  I've 
got  another  photograph  of  him,  but  hers  got  spoiled  some- 


144  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

how  when  they  was  doin'  the  work  on  it.  The  man  felt 
dreadful  about  it,  and  offered  to  throw  in  her  frame  for 
nothing,  but  I  wouldn't  let  him.  I  got  both  the  pictures 
done  for  nothing;  all  I  had  to  pay  for  was  the  frames. 
I  knew  you  would  be  so  glad  to  have  your  dear  pa  an' 
ma  looking  down  at  you  every  morning  when  you  first 
waked  up.  Of  course,  you  was  too  young  to  know  your 
pa,  but  I  knew  your  mother's  picture  would  be  a  great 
comfort  to  you." 

Colinette  reached  up  and  drew  her  grandmother's  face 
down  to  hers. 

"  Don't  you  care,  grandmother !  Don't  you  care !  I've 
got  you,  alive  and  well  and  hearty;  that's  worth  all  the 
pictures  in  the  world.  Now  don't  you  care.  And  your 
boy's  picture  is  up  there  all  safe  and  nice  and  —  I'm 
awfully  grateful  to  you." 

"  You  remember  what  day  this  is,  I  s'pose  ?  " 

"  My  —  birthday,  isn't  it  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and  —  dear,  dear,  all  spoiled !  "  She  released 
herself  from  Colinette's  clinging  arms  and  bent  once 
more  above  the  shattered  picture.  "  Well,  that's  the  fun- 
niest break  I  ever  see.^  It  must  have  sort  of  hit  on  one 
corner  — " 

"  Yes,  it  must  have  hit  on  one  corner,"  Colinette  agreed 
hastily,  "  and  sort  of  —  sort  of  exploded." 

After  breakfast  Mrs.  Dunlap  and  Susan  came  over 
and  heard  the  news  of  the  accident  with  suitable  aston- 
ishment and  condolences.  Colinette  was  not  in  the  room 
when  they  arrived  and  Susan  found  her  in  the  woodshed 
trying  to  glue  up  a  gouge  in  the  leather  of  her  right  shoe, 
which  looked  as  if  it  might  have  been  cut  by  broken  glass. 


XII 

The  next  week  was  a  busy  one  indeed  in  the  Dunlap 
and  Gard  households;  busier  than  the  older  members 
dreamed  of.  In  the  first  part  of  it  Mrs.  Gard's  dress 
was  finished  with  such  skill  and  neatness  as  to  astonish 
that  good  lady.  Aunt  Rinthy  Pickens  was  obliged  to 
own  that  "  it  was  the  most  becomin'  thing  Gram'ma  Gard 
had  ever  had  on  her  back."  She  would  hardly  credit 
the  story  of  Colinette's  having  made  it  almost  entirely 
alone. 

"  I  never  see  anybody  learn  to  sew  so  quick  in  my 
life,"  asserted  Mrs.  Gard,  holding  the  garment  aloft  for 
the  inspection  of  the  assembled  family.  Susan  snorted, 
and  buried  her  nose  in  her  handkerchief,  while  Colinette 
groaned  inwardly,  anticipating  what  lay  before  her  in  the 
light  of  her  newly  discovered  ability. 

Thursday  night  the  first  real  meeting  of  "  The  Bats  " 
took  place  in  the  secret  club  room.  Villie  Klatz  was 
initiated,  and  although  a  good  deal  startled,  went  through 
the  performance  like  a  stoic.  Gusta,  however,  was  not 
so  calm,  and  certain  noises  issued  from  the  old  haunted 
hotel  which  might  well  have  given  color  to  the  legends 
regarding  the  place  in  the  mind  of  some  chance  passerby. 

Colinette  allowed  Villie  to  pay  a  dollar  for  his  own 
club  badge  and  his  sister's,  but  she  would  take  nothing 
from  Susan,  because  Susan  had  furnished  the  lamp. 

i45 


146  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

Friday  evening  Rob  Dunlap  and  Helen  Pickens  were 
initiated,  much  to  Susan's  astonishment.  These  recruits 
had  come  in  through  the  labors  of  Colinette,  who  in- 
trigued Rob  by  talking  of  the  riddle  which  he  had  been 
yearning  for  and  of  a  place  to  practice  where  no  one 
would  mind  the  noise,  and  of  a  place  to  cache  said  fiddle 
away  from  meddling  brotherly  fingers.  Helen  had  been 
cajoled,  flattered  —  coerced,  it  might  almost  be  said  — 
by  a  will  stronger  than  her  own.  She  had  also  been 
basely  deceived  as  to  the  place  of  meeting,  otherwise  ap- 
peals would  have  been  in  vain.  Perhaps  the  novelty  of 
taking  a  step  without  the  dominating  guidance  of  her 
mother  attracted  Helen,  although  in  doing  it  she  merely 
passed  from  one  domination  to  another.  But  there  was 
something  invigorating  in  the  change. 

With  the  admission  of  these  two  members  the  badge 
debt  was  cancelled,  and  "  The  Bats  "  became  an  assured 
fact. 

As  chief  of  "  the  swarm  "  —  so  they  designated  their 
association  —  Colinette  wore  the  green-eyed  bat,  and  was 
known  as  "  The  Green-eyed  One."  It  was  the  intention 
of  the  club  to  gather  in  Elmer  Dunlap  and  one  or  two 
others  before  the  beginning  of  school,  but  for  several 
reasons  they  did  not.  In  the  first  place  Rob  and  Susan 
were  sure  that  no  one  could  succeed  in  coaxing  Elmer 
into  a  place  where  he  was  likely  to  be  frightened,  and 
that  if  he  managed  to  stand  the  strain  of  initiation,  he 
would  not  live  up  to  his  vows  and  keep  the  secrets  of  the 
organization. 

"  And  the  very  life  of  this  business  is  the  wicked 
secrecy  of  it,"  Colinette  told  Susan. 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  147 

One  night,  by  means  of  the  prearranged  signals,  the 
Green-eyed  One  called  a  special  meeting.     These  meet- 
ings usually  took  place  between  dusk  and  dark,  just  when 
nature's  bats  are  in  the  habit  of  disporting  themselves; 
darting  here  and  there  on  the  lookout  for  their  evening 
meal.     The  Green-eyed  One  had  news,  and  a  proposition 
to  make.     The  janitor's  job  at  the  church  was  going  beg- 
ging.   Why  not  elect  a  figurehead,  one  of  the  boys  prefer- 
ably, and  then  the  entire  swarm  divide  up  both  the  work 
and  the  wages  ?     This  was  agreed  upon,  and  a  week  later 
when   Villie   Klatz   became   nominal   janitor,   each   Bat 
promised  to  perform  a  certain  amount  of  labor,  and  re- 
ceive hi=  or  her  share  of  the  spoils.     This  influx  of  needed 
funds  gave  the  doll  theatre  a  great  impetus.     The  dolls 
were  ordered  by  express,  the  package  duly  received  by 
Villie  Klatz  and  conveyed  to  the  scene  of  their  future 
triumphs.     The   two   boy   Bats   disdained   this   childish 
branch  of  the  organization;  they  were  satisfied  with  the 
mystic  meetings,  the  conjuring  up  of  new  horrors  to  add 
to  the  initiation  rites,  and  the  rather  boastful  reports  of 
how  they  were  coming  on  in  their  separate  and  individual 
plans  for  "  going  after  "  what  they  wanted.     Rob  never 
passed  the  music  store  these  days  without  going  in  to 
gaze  with  anticipatory  yearnings  at  certain  yellow-backed 
beauties,  one  of  which  would  in  time  be  his  very  own, 
tucked  under  his  own  chin,  and  producing  the  wails  dear 
to  the  heart  of  the  student  of  violin  music.     Sometimes 
he  sat  up  in  bed  and  filled  Elmer  with  curiosity  by  ex- 
tending one  arm,  wriggling  his  fingers  wildly,  meanwhile 
sawing  with  the  other  arm. 

Villie  manufactured  a  square  frame  which  screwed  to- 


148  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

gether  at  its  eight  corners  and  rested  on  a  platform  table- 
high  from  the  floor.  It  could  be  reduced  to  an  incon- 
spicuous pile  of  sticks  at  almost  an  instant's  notice.  This 
was  to  serve  as  the  framework  of  the  theatre,  which  had 
by  this  time  become  so  greatly  endeared  to  the  heart  of 
the  Green-eyed  One  and  her  companions  that  they  were 
determined  to  salvage  it  at  any  time  when  The  Bats  might 
be  routed  from  their  hidingplace  by  the  strong  arm  of 
authority  and  sent  homeless  into  an  unsympathetic  world. 

Villie  had  the  advantage  of  Rob  in  that  every  time  the 
janitor's  salary  was  divided  he  hurried  to  the  hardware 
store  and  bought  a  new  tool.  First  a  Disston  saw,  next 
a  plane,  a  Yankee  drill,  a  fine  and  accurate  square. 
Sometimes  he  worked  in  the  Pickens's  barn,  but  later  on 
set  up  a  veritable  carpenter  shop  in  an  upstairs  room  of 
the  old  hotel  where  he  manufactured  stage  properties  ac- 
cording to  the  directions  and  under  the  supervision  of  the 
Green-eyed  One.  Each  of  the  four  girls  owned  two  of 
the  dolls  and  for  a  time  the  rivalry  ran  high  as  to  whose 
dolls  were  the  prettiest  and  the  best  dressed.  Susan  made 
most  of  the  clothes,  developing  as  she  did  so  a  passionate 
affection  for  the  little  wooden  actresses.  Gusta  and 
Helen  almost  came  to  blows  over  the  respective  charms 
of  theii  wards. 

At  last  the  night  of  the  first  play  arrived.  The  stage 
stood  by  mysteriously  draped  in  curtains  made  from 
horse  blankets  furnished  by  Helen  Pickens.  The  illumin- 
ation was  woefully  inadequate  —  Susan's  purloined  lamp 
— but  the  story,  written  and  recited  by  the  Green-eyed 
One,  was  dramatic  in  the  extreme  and  the  little  characters 
really  lifelike  posed  before  scenes  which  Colinette  had 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  149 

painted  on  Mrs.  Gard's  discarded  window  blinds.  The 
audience  of  four,  Villie,  Gusta,  Helen  and  Rob,  voted  the 
effort  a  success  although  a  character  fainted  now  and 
then  where  no  such  event  was  marked  in  the  prompt  book, 
and  the  stage  was  so  dark  that  one  discerned  the  scenery 
with  difficulty.  The  play,  however,  was  all  too  short, 
and  the  author,  stage  manager,  and  audience  alike  re- 
gretted the  fact  that  they  dare  not  linger  to  talk  the  mat- 
ter over  for  fear  of  exciting  suspicion  at  their  several 
homes. 

The  play  occurred  on  Thursday  night,  because  on  that 
night  the  feminine  members  of  the  involved  families 
usually  attended  prayer-meeting  and  the  masculine  mem- 
bers were  easily  satisfied  with  some  such  meek  announce- 
ment as,  "  I  am  going  over  to  Colinette's  a  minute,"  or, 
"  up  to  Helen's,"  or,  "  over  to  Gusta's."  Of  course  both 
Villie  Klatz  and  Rob  Dunlap  had  arrived  at  that  most 
longed-for  age  when  the  small-town  boy  goes  "  out  "  and 
"  down  "  and  stays  as  late  as  he  pleases,  "  so  long  as  he 
gets  in  by  nine." 

"  Getting  shut  of  Elmer  "  was  Rob's  greatest  problem. 

It  was  remarkable,  the  shifts  he  was  obliged  to  em- 
ploy to  be  rid  of  that  persistent  brother  until  he  had  a 
mind  to  withdraw  his  objections  and  allow  the  Green- 
eyed  One  to  have  her  way  and  take  Elmer  into  the 
"  swarm." 

These  were  busy  and  happy  days  for  Colinette.  Per- 
haps if  she  had  found  more  leisure  she  might  have 
dreaded  more  the  beginning  of  school  with  its  new  prob- 
lems, social  and  educational,  awaiting  her.  But  what 
with  the  dusky  flittings  of  "  The  Bats,"  the  writing  of  a 


150  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

new  play  and  the  painting  of  new  scenery,  the  gathering 
and  threshing  the  bean  crop,  harvesting  the  sweet  peas 
and  other  flower  seeds,  washing  dishes,  and,  more  im- 
portant than  all,  designing  and  making  over  Susan's 
brown  dress,  she  really  came  bump  up  against  the  first 
day  of  school  without  a  tremor. 

Even  that  first  day,  intended  by  the  Morning  Glories 
to  show  "  that  new  girl  from  above  the  railroad  her 
place  once  and  for  all "  was  so  colored  for  Colinette  by 
the  fact  that  Susan's  dress  was  the  smartest  and  most 
up-to-date  dress  in  the  school  room,  that  she  really  over- 
looked the  Morning  Glories  entirely  until  reminded  of 
their  existence  and  her  own  supposed  inferiority  by  over- 
hearing Gertie  Calkins  designate  her  "  the  waif." 

Another  straw  to  show  the  direction  of  the  wind  was 
the  sudden  coolness  of  Helen  Pickens,  Helen,  whose 
mother  had  lately  mourned  the  fact  that  "  she  seemed 
possessed  to  stick  around  John's  girl  all  the  time !  "  That 
she  was  "  getting  worse  than  Susan  Taylor  on  that 
score!"  When  Mrs.  Pickens  spoke  disparagingly  of 
young  Susan  she  always  gave  her  her  own  name. 

"  You  see  where  Helen  stands,  don't  you?  "  demanded 
Susan  scornfully  as  the  two  walked  home  alone  from  that 
first  day  of  school.  "Nice  one  she  is,  ain't  she  —  to 
stick  to  her  friends  and  sister  club  members !  You  mark 
me,  Colinette,  she'll  come  handing  in  her  bat  badge  one  of 
these  days !  She'll  twist  her  mouth  in  that  sanctimonious 
way  of  hers  and  say  that  she  doesn't  think  the  Bats  are 
nice!  Or  some  other  excuse,  and  then  she'll  resign  and 
probably  bleat  out  all  our  club  secrets,  where  we  meet 
and  everything.     Then  Mr.  Plummer  will  forbid  us  hold- 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  151 

ing  meetings  in  his  storehouse  any  more,  and  the  whole 
club  will  blow  up." 

Colinette  shrugged  her  shoulders. 

"  We'll  get  some  new  members  in,  no  doubt.  And 
Helen  hasn't  resigned  yet;  let's  not  cross  the  bridge  till 
we  reach  it." 

Before  the  end  of  the  first  month  of  school,  however, 
The  Bats  were  called  upon  to  cross  the  bridge  of  Helen's 
resignation.  It  came  about  through  her  failing  to  re- 
spond to  "  the  high  call "  for  a  meeting.  Villie  Klatz 
had  run  across  a  whistle  with  two  distinct  notes,  one  high, 
the  other  extremely  high.  It  struck  Villie  as  appro- 
priate for  the  calling  together  of  Bats. 

"  You  know,"  explained  Villie,  "  a  real  bat  he  squeaks 
up  so  high  you  can't  almost  hear  him  yet,"  and  he  pre- 
sented the  whistle  to  the  Green-eyed  One. 

"  If  you  call  high,  we'll  come,"  said  Villie.  "  If  you 
call  awful  high,  we'll  come  sure  and  come  in  a  hurry." 

During  a  certain  noon  hour  Gertrude  Calkins  and  two 
or  three  of  her  most  faithful  followers  and  club  mem- 
bers were  as  usual  gathered  in  a  close  knot  by  the  front 
entrance.  A  dozen  boys  or  more,  among  whom  were 
Neal  Brackley,  Jeff  Plummer,  Villie  Klatz  and  Elmer 
Dunlap  were  also  on  the  front  walk  holding  what  might 
be  called  a  baseball  wrangle  as  Susan  Dunlap  and 
Colinette  arrived  after  having  been  home  for  lunch. 

As  they  came  into  the  school  yard  a  wild  cackling  broke 
out  among  the  Morning  Glory  girls,  and  Lila  Merton 
called  out,  "  Oh,  Neal,  Gertie  Calkins  has  something  in 
her  hand  which  you  would  be  wild  to  see  if  you  knew 
what  it  was!" 


152  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

"  Oh,  you  mean  thing!  "  piped  Gertie  Calkins,  darting 
from  the  group.  "  How  dare  you  tell !  Now  he'll  take 
it  way  from  me  by  force;  the  great  strong  —  Oh,  you 
shan't  have  it !  You  shan't !  "  for  Neal  Brackley  had  ac- 
cepted the  very  obvious  challenge. 

The  two  bent  and  swayed  in  the  struggle,  Gertie 
squeaking  for  Lila  to  "  come  and  save  her,  or  Lizzie  Wil- 
liams, or  anybody !  " 

Suddenly  she  threw  the  disputed  object  —  a  wad  of 
writing  paper  —  forth  upon  the  walk,  crying  out  for 
"  somebody  to  save  it!  " 

It  fell  at  Colinette's  feet.  She  caught  it  up  and  was 
off  like  a  rocket,  Neal  Brackley  in  hot  pursuit. 

Her  intention  had  been  merely  to  thread  her  way  be- 
tween the  pupils  in  a  mazy  hair-and-hounds  tangle,  reach 
Gertie  Calkins'  side  and  restore  her  property.  But  Neal 
doubled  upon  her  so  dexterously  that  he  nearly  caught 
her.  In  the  jumble  she  passed  the  crumpled  paper  into 
the  fist  of  Villie  Klatz  with  the  injunction  to  "  Keep 
it!  "  The  transfer  was  seen  by  a  dozen  pupils,  but  not 
by  Neal  Brackley.  Around  the  schoolhouse  went 
Colinette,  fluttering  just  beyond  the  reach  of  the  boy's 
fingers,  both  laughing,  both  red-faced,  persistent,  and  en- 
joying the  race.  Colinette  ran  out  upon  the  walk,  head- 
ing around  the  block.  Neal  followed.  At  the  angle  of 
the  street  farthest  from  the  school  house  Neal  stumbled, 
stopped,  sat  down  heavily  upon  a  stone  coping  and 
grasped  his  ankle  with  both  hands.  He  turned  a  wry 
face  to  Colinette  who  came  back  at  once. 

"Hurt?"  she  asked.  Neal  groaned,  and  Colinette 
threw  prudence  to  the  wind  and  ran  back  to  him. 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  153 

"  Ah,  ha !  Miss  Butterfly !  "  he  triumphed,  catching 
her  by  the  wrist,  "  I'll  trouble  you  for  my  paper,  or 
whatever  it  was  that  Gertie  wanted  me  to  see." 

Colinette  regarded  him  with  startled  eyes. 

"  Do  you  really  think  she  wanted  you  to  see  it  ?  " 

"  Of  course  she  did;  that's  a  girl's  way." 

"Oh.     I  — didn't  know." 

"  Awh,  come  off !  You  did  know ;  you  would  have 
done  the  same  thing." 

"I?     Never!" 

Neal  laughed  hectoringly.  "  Oh,  yes,  you  would ;  you 
would  have  done  it  just  the  same  way." 

"  Susan  wouldn't." 

"Susan?" 

"  My  cousin,  Susan  Dunlap." 

"  Susan  is  a  wonderful  girl,  then." 

"  Susan  is  a  wonderful  girl,  but  this  school  doesn't 
seem  to  know  it." 

"  I'm  not  to  blame  for  that.     I'm  new  in  this  school." 

"  How  badly  is  your  ankle  hurt?  " 

"  Just  bad  enough  to  trap  you."  He  stood  up  and 
"  clogged "  a  few  steps,  still  keeping  his  hold  upon 
Colinette's  wrist. 

"  Please  let  me  go ;  I  haven't  got  your  paper.  I  slipped 
it  to  Villie  Klatz  as  I  ran  past." 

"To  Villie  Klatz?  Oh,  well,  Gertie  has  it  by  this 
time  then,  and  I'll  have  to  scuffle  for  it  again  when  I  get 
back." 

"  No,  she  will  not  have  it.  Villie  Klatz  will  igive  that 
paper  up  to  no  one  but  me." 

"Are  you  such  great  chums  —  you  and  Villie?  " 


154  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

"  Well,  Villie  Klatz  and  I  belong  to  the  same  — "  she 
hesitated  a  moment  over  the  word  "  gang  "  and  then  fin- 
ished — "  club." 

"  Say !  I'm  interested  in  this.  Jeff  Plummer  told  me 
there  was  a  club  of  some  kind  up  in  his  neighbor- 
hood." 

"  What  did  Jeff  Plummer  say  about  the  club  up  in 
his  neighborhood?" 

"  He  said  a  girl  asked  him  to  join,  but  he  wouldn't." 

"  Yes,  that  is  so ;  Susan  asked  him,  but  he  wouldn't." 

"And  Villie  Klatz  belongs,  you  say?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Well,  tell  us  all  about  it." 

"Let  go  of  my  wrist  and  I  will  tell  you  —  all  that  I 
am  free  to  tell  you." 

"  If  I  let  go  you'll  skip  out  again.  I  don't  want  the 
boys  to  know  that  a  girl  can  outrun  me.  They  call  me 
sissy  once  in  a  while  now1,." 

"Why?" 

"  Oh,  I  don't  play  very  good  ball,  you  know ;  I  play 
the  piano  instead.  But  tell  me  about  your  club.  I'll 
join." 

"If  you  are  really  a  sissy  boy  you  couldn't  join  our 
club." 

"Why?" 

"  You  couldn't  stand  the  initiation  rites.  They're 
frightful!" 

"  Fri  —  what  do  you  mean?  " 

"  Scareful." 

"Good!     I'm  bound  to  join  now." 

"  You  mean  if  the  club  votes  to  have  you  join." 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  155 

"  Oh,  everybody  can't  trickle  in,  eh  ?  " 

"  No,  you  have  to  possess  certain  qualities  in  order 
to  get  in." 

"What,  for  instance?" 

"  You  have  to  be  brave,  to  begin  with." 

"  Yes." 

"  And  ambitious.  Please  let  go  of  my  wrist.  I  prom- 
ise not  to  run  away  nor  to  tell  back  in  the  school  yard 
that  you  didn't  overtake  me."     He  let  her  go. 

"  Now  tell  me  all  about  that  club  of  yours.  Has  it 
anything  to  do  with  this  Morning  Glory  Club  that  the 
girls  are  after  me  to  join  ?  " 

"  Nothing."  Colinette  set  her  lips  in  a  rigid  line.  "  In 
fact,  if  you  join  the  Morning  Glory  Club  that  cuts  you 
out  of  —  ours." 

u  What's  the  name  of  your  club?  " 

"  We  are  The  Bats,  because  we  meet  at  night  in  secret 
places." 

"  Say,  I'm  plum  crazy  over  this  business.  Jeff  Plum- 
mer  is  going  to  join  the  Morning  Glories;  I'll  coax  him 
out  of  it  and  have  him  join — " 

"  Jeff  Plummer  isn't  eligible  for  The  Bats ;  he's  been 
asked  to  join  and  refused.  It's  too  late  for  Jeff  Plum- 
mer." 

"  But  you  would  like  me,  wouldn't  you  ?  " 

"  I'll  take  in  your  name  tonight." 

"  All  right.  But  mind,  I  shall  be  sore  if  the  initiation 
isn't  up  to  the  advertisement." 

"  You  mean  scareful  enough?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Don't  worry.     There's  the  bell."     She  jumped  up 


156  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

from  the  stone  coping  where  she  had  been  sitting.  "  We 
must  go." 

"Jeff  Plummer  told  me  that  you  were  the  only  girl 
in  this  town  who  wasn't  afraid  of  anything." 

"  Jeff  Plummer  is  mistaken;  I  am  afraid  of  some  things 
—  one  thing  in  particular." 

"  Tell  me  what  it  is." 

Colinette  shook  her  head. 

The  pupils  were  flowing  into  the  school  entrance  when 
the  two  arrived,  but  the  knot  of  Morning  Glories  were 
still  outside  and  in  a  bad  temper.  Gertie  Calkins  ap- 
proached Colinette  with  fire  in  her  eyes. 

"  Will  you  please  tell  that  big  —  big  lout !  to  give  me 
my  paper?  I  saw  you  give  it  to  him  after  you  ran  off 
with  it." 

Colinette' s  eyes  narrowed  under  dusky  lashes.  She 
smiled  up  at  Villie  Klatz,  who  stood  like  a  stone  image, 
impervious  alike  to  teasing  protests  from  the  girls  and 
threats  from  the  boys. 

"  Thank  you,  Villie."  She  held  out  her  little  hand 
and  the  wad  of  paper  plumped  into  it  at  once. 

"  I  tole  'em  I'd  give  it  to  Colinette  an'  to  nobody  else," 
announced  Villie  triumphantly. 

Colinette  handed  the  crumpled  bit  over  to  the  presi- 
dent of  the  Morning  Glories,  her  mien  that  of  a  scorn- 
ful princess. 

"  I'll  thank  you,  Miss,  not  to  butt  into  our  affairs  after 
this !  "  Gertie  threw  at  her. 

"  I  hope  you'll  excuse  me,"  returned  Colinette.  "  I 
didn't  know  that,  all  the  time,  you  wanted  Neal  Brackley 
to  see  the  paper.     I  thought  you  meant  what  you  said; 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  157 

that  you  didn't  want  him  to  see  it.     I  am  sorry  that  I 
interfered." 

That  night  the  Green-eyed  One  sounded  the  High  Call 
for  The  Bats  to  assemble  in  extra  session  for  the  purpose 
of  voting  on  Neal  Brackley's  name  as  a  candidate  for 
membership. 


XIII 

The  Morning  Glory  Club  met  the  same  night  on  which 
the  "  high  call "  was  sounded  above  the  railroad.  The 
majority  of  the  members  did  not  know  of  the  meeting, 
but  this  was  immaterial;  the  club  was  not  particularly 
democratic.  In  fact,  it  was  exceedingly  autocratic. 
Gertie  Calkins,  with  Lila  Morton  and  Lizzie  Williams 
as  her  faithful  henchmen,  were  really  the  Morning  Glory 
Club.  The  remaining  members  were  only  notified  when 
a  collection  was  to  be  taken  up  to  defray  the  expenses 
of  one  of  their  frequent  social  affairs,  and,  when  Gertie 
thought  best,  were  allowed  to  attend  metings.  But  when 
real  business  was  to  be  transacted  the  committee  carried 
the  burden  alone. 

On  this  night  there  was  very  particular  business  to  be 
looked  after.  The  three  girls  met  in  the  Calkins  parlor, 
a  pretentious,  well-kept  room,  where  everything  was 
strictly  up  to  date  and  just  as  it  should  be ;  where  a  fire 
never  shone  in  the  ornate  grate;  where  no  one  ever 
glanced  at  the  dun-colored  reproductions  of  Burne  Jones' 
"  Youth,"  "  Sir  Galahad,"  and  the  wickedly-smiling 
"  Mona  Lisa,"  which  adorned  the  walls,  nor  touched  the 
shining  teeth  of  the  grand  piano.  This  room  was  really 
a  parlor,  but  the  Calkinses  did  not  call  it  by  that  old- 
fashioned  name,  and  would  have  resented  its  being  called 
so  by  others. 

"  Wasn't  it  dreadful  the  way  our  grandmothers  did," 

158 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  159 

Mrs.  Calkins  would  say  in  talking  with  members  of  her 
bridge  club,  "  to  set  aside  a  room  which  was  never  opened 
save  when  there  was  a  death  or  wedding  in  the  family? 
I  can  remember  how  musty  such  rooms  smelled." 

Mrs.  Calkins'  "  living-room  "  did  not  smell  musty,  but 
it  always  smelled  of  varnish,  as  if  the  piano  and  the  white 
enamel  paint  had  been  newly  gone  over.  The  phono- 
graph was  in  the  dining-room,  and  a  worn  leather  chair 
where  Mr.  Calkins  "  flopped  down  "  to  read  the  paper, 
but  the  family  really  lived  upstairs  in  the  bedrooms ;  the 
living-room  belonged  exclusively  to  chance  callers,  Mrs. 
Calkins'  bridge  club,  and  the  Morning  Glories. 

"Well,  ain't  it  the  limit!"  breathed  Gertie,  and  both 
the  other  girls  heartily  agreed  with  their  chief  that  "  it 
was  the  limit !  " 

Lila  Merton  was  a  soft  pretty  little  thing  with  large 
blue  eyes,  a  rosebud  mouth  and  a  slight  lisp.  She  was 
the  daughter  of  the  Redmoon  physician.  Lizzie  Smith's 
widowed  mother  was  the  town's  dressmaker,  and  Lizzie's 
prestige  in  the  Morning  Glory  Club  came  through  her 
advance  knowledge  of  "  what  was  going  to  be  worn,"  and 
her  willingness  to  adapt  herself  to  the  wishes  of  her  supe- 
rior. She  was  as  nearly  colorless  in  physical  makeup 
and  disposition  as  a  girl  could  be  and  retain  any  indi- 
viduality at  all.  She  was  pale  as  to  complexion,  lips, 
hair,  eyes,  and  taste  in  dress,  but  like  all  such,  she  had 
deep  within  herself  a  pallid  cold  demon  of  jealousy  and 
envy. 

"  I  don't  think  Neal  Brackley  showed  off  very  well  — 
mixing  up  with  that  above-the-railroad  crowd,"  lisped 
Lila. 


160  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

"  Oh,  Neal !     Neal's  a  boy !  "  returned  Gertie. 

"  M-m-m-m-m,"  breathed  Lizzie  Smith. 

"Wasn't  it  the  limit,  the  way  that  girl  butted  in?" 
demanded  Gertie  again. 

"  I'll  say  it  was,"  agreed  Lila. 

"  M-m-m-m-m !  "  murmured  Lizzie. 

"  And  wait,  girls ;  you  don't  "know  the  worst."  Gertie 
lowered  her  voice  impressively.  "  She's  trying  to  get  up 
a  rival  club;  a  club  of  folks  who  live  above  the  rail- 
road!" 

"  Well,  you  should  worry ;  with  Villie  Klatz  and  that 
Dunlap  crowd  in  it,  I  presume.  It'll  be  just  funny,  that's 
all." 

"  But  wait  till  I  tell  you !  They  asked  Jeff  Plummer 
to  join  —  imagine!"  All  three  girls  laughed,  Lizzie 
Smith  allowing  her  "  M-m-m-m  "  to  rise  into  a  ladylike 
little  shriek. 

"And  Jeff  refused,  of  course?" 

"  Yes,  but  — "  Gertie  paused  to  give  her  next  announce- 
ment due  weight  —  "  they  asked  Neal  Brackley,  and  he 
is  going  to !  " 

"  M-m-m-m !  "  shrieked  Lizzie. 

"  You  don't  mean  it !  "  Lila  was  properly  impressed. 
"  I  wish  we  had  gone  to  him  during  vacation  and  got 
him  into  the  M.  G.'s.  Oh,  we  must  have  Neal;  his 
mother,  you  know,  and  his  music  and  his  dancing  — " 

"  Of  course,  we'll  have  him  sooner  or  later,  but  I 
don't  want  to  give  her  the  satisfaction  of  — " 

"  No-o-o-o." 

"M-m-m-m!"     Lizzie   managed   to   throw   into   her 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  161 

gentle  purr  a  solemn  negative  quality  which  always 
pleased  her  superior. 

14  Girls,  we  must  break  up  that  crowd !  " 

The  others  agreed  to  this  readily  enough  and  awaited 
further  suggestions  as  to  how  the  breaking  was  to  be 
accomplished. 

"  We  must  do  something  stunning  —  something  new !  " 

Everybody  agreed  again,  but  here  their  ideas  hung 
fire  in  a  bunch,  and  they  decided  to  consult  the  rest  of 
the  club.  Someone  among  them  might  be  able  to  think 
of  something  brilliant  to  do. 

At  this  point  in  the  discussion  Lizzie  Smith  made  a 
suggestion  which,  in  itself  distasteful  to  her  associates, 
loomed  as  a  possible  necessity. 

"  You  might  ask  a  couple  of  their  leaders  to  join  us. 
No  one  has  ever  yet  refused  to  be  a  Morning  Glory  when 
they  have  been  asked." 

Lila  Merton  cried  out  against  such  a  measure.  Above- 
the-railroaders  let  into  the  M.  G.'s;  horrors!  But  the 
idea  had  taken  hold  of  Gertie. 

"  We'd  better  do  it,"  she  announced.  "  If  we  don't 
want  them,  after  awhile  we  can  ask  them  to  resign. 
We'll  invite  the  Gard  girl  and  that  Helen  Pickens — " 

"  Is  Helen  Pickens  a  member  of  this  new  club?  " 

"  I  don't  know;  but  we  can  ask  her,  and  if  she  is,  we 
can  make  her  a  Morning  Glory  —  for  awhile,  anyhow. 
I  dare  say  she  is  one  of  the  leaders.  Her  father  is  as 
rich  as  mud,  and  she  has  always  been  hanging  after  us 
and  trying  to  bore  into  the  M.  G.'s.  She  couldn't,  so 
now  I  presume  she  and  this  Gard  girl  have  made  up  to 


162  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

start  a  club  of  their  own.  If  only  they'd  stay  in  their 
own  territory  nobody  would  kick,  but  —  Neal  Brack- 
ley!" 

"  Rotten !  "  said  Lila. 

"  M-m-m-m !  "  purred  Lizzie  with  a  curling  lip. 

Helen  Pickens  did  not  respond  to  "  the  high  call  "  that 
night,  and  the  Green-eyed  One  was  informed  of  her  rea- 
son for  failing  to  do  so  at  the  night's  meeting  of  The 
Bats.  The  members  came  silently  slipping  through  the 
old  hotel  entrance,  down  the  cellar  stairs,  through  the 
tunnel  and  basement  of  the  storehouse  into  the  club 
room  proper.  A  heavy  horse-blanket  hung  at  either  win- 
dow, effectually  shutting  in  the  none  too  brilliant  light 
of  the  one  small  lamp.  First  Villie  and  Gusta  Klatz, 
then  Susan  and  Rob  Dunlap;  lastly  the  Green-eyed  One, 
who  promptly  called  the  club  to  order.  Against  the  north 
wall  of  the  club  room  stood  the  miniature  theatre,  the 
dark  folds  of  the  front  curtain  swaying  mysteriously  as 
if  the  eight  lifelike  little  actors  hidden  behind  its  folds 
were  quietly  moving  about  like  live  persons.  When  a 
play  was  in  progress  the  table  which  supported  the  frame- 
work was  moved  out  against  the  east  window  so  that  it 
faced  the  long  way  of  the  room.  In  that  position  there 
would  have  been  room  for  twenty-five  persons  to  see  the 
play,  Colinette  had  said  wistfully  on  the  occasion  of  the 
second  performance  as  she  gazed  at  the  regulation  au- 
dience of  four.  It  was  her  part  to  run  the  curtain  and 
read  the  play,  while  Susan,  behind  the  scene,  posed  the 
dolls  in  tableaux. 

"Where's  Helen?"  asked  Colinette. 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  163 

"  She  ain't  a  comin'."  Villie  Klatz  handed  in  the 
news  regretfully.  "  I  don't  believe  she's  goin'  to  belong 
any  more." 

"  She  stood  around  and  soaked  in  everything  that  was 
said  about  you  yesterday  when  you  were  chasing  after 
Gertie  Calkins'  property,"  scolded  Susan,  "  and  she's 
afraid  if  she  associates  with  you,  or  with  her  own  cousins 
and  neighbors  it's  going  to  injure  her  standing  in  society." 

"  Well,  let  her  go  to  thunder!  "  growled  Rob  Dunlap. 

"  Ye-ah !     I  say  so,  too,"  said  Villie. 

"  Order !  "  commanded  the  Green-eyed  One,  but  her 
heart  was  heavy.  She  had  counted  on  Helen's  surprise 
and  delight  at  the  news  she  had  for  the  club. 

"  I  think  she  will  be  all  right  after  I  have  talked  with 
her  tomorrow,  especially  after  she  hears  the  news.  Neal 
Brackley  wants  to  join  The  Bats.  He  asked  me  to  take 
in  his  name."  A  murmur  of  discreet  applause  arose. 
"  All  in  favor  of  Neal  Brackley  for  a  member  give  the 
high  call."     The  vote  was  unanimous. 

"Jeff  Plummer  would  like  to  reconsider  his  refusal 
and  come  in.     All  in  favor  of  Jeff  Plummer — " 

Villie  voted  no  immediately.  So  did  Rob.  Both  girls 
voted  for  Jeff  to  be  admitted.  This  threw  the  decision 
into  the  hands  of  the  Green-eyed  One,  who  said  she  would 
take  the  matter  under  consideration. 

"  Neal  Brackley  says  he  hopes  the  initiation  is  fright- 
ful. He  says  if  it  isn't  just  awfully  fearful  he  shall  be 
disappointed.  Let's  see  to  it,  Brothers  of  the  Night, 
that  he  is  not  disappointed.  If  any  of  you  can  think  of 
some  frightful  things  that  are  not  in  our  initiation  rite 
now,  let  me  know.     We  shall  take  in  the  new  member 


164  COUNETTE  OF  REDMOON 

next  Wednesday  night.  Helen  promised  to  bring  two 
more  lamps  tonight,  so  that  we  could  have  better  lighting 
on  our  stage,  but  I  suppose  we  can  manage  to  get  along 
with  the  same  old  light." 

After  the  regular  meeting  was  adjourned  the  club  fell 
to  discussing  informally  the  same  old  question  as  to 
whether  or  not  Elmer  Dunlap  was  to  be  admitted  as  a 
member.  Elmer  was  the  great  obstacle  in  the  flight  of 
The  Bats.  Elmer,  who  did  not  go  to  lodge,  to  prayer 
meeting  nor  to  bed  in  any  reasonable  time.  If  he  were 
to  be  admitted  to  membership  the  necessity  of  dodging 
him  would  be  done  away  with,  but  as  usual,  the  meeting 
closed  without  coming  to  a  decision. 

The  next  day  Helen  Pickens  was  seen  in  animated  con- 
versation with  two  of  the  Morning  Glories,  and  on  the 
way  home  handed  in  her  formal  resignation  from  The 
Bats. 

"Oh,  Helen!"  remonstrated  Susan,  "when  we  were 
just  getting  everything  fixed  up  so  lovely,  and  when  — " 
She  stopped  short  at  a  vigorous  sign  for  silence  from 
the  Green-eyed  One. 

"  What's  your  reason  for  leaving  The  Bats  ? "  de- 
manded Colinette. 

"If  you  want  to  know,"  Helen  tossed  her  head  and 
pursed  her  mouth  in  her  most  provoking  manner,  "  I've 
been  invited  to  join  the  M.  G.'s,  and  I'm  going  to." 

"  What  will  you  do  with  poor  little  Roxelana  and  Con- 
stance?" These  were  the  names  of  the  two  jointed 
actresses  which  belonged  personally  to  Helen. 

"  Oh,  you  may  have  the  dolls ;  I've  lost  interest  in  them 
anyway.     It  was  child's  play  and  nothing  else." 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  165 

As  a  desperate  measure  the  Green-eyed  One  gave  her 
consent  to  the  telling  Helen  about  Neal  Brackley.  Helen 
would  not  believe  that  Neal  Brackley  would  join  an 
above-the-railroad  club. 

"  You'll  see,"  she  told  her  cousin,  "  Neal  Brackley  is 
going  to  join  the  Morning  Glory  Club.  So  is  Jeff  Plum- 
mer.  We're  going  to  give  a  grand  show  this  winter  — 
a  concert.  Gertie  says  they  want  me  to  play  either  a 
piano  solo  or  a  duet  with  Nea  —  well,  anyhow,  with  some- 
body. It's  to  be  a  real  entertainment;  not  a  lot  of  dolls  in 
a  make-believe  theatre." 

"  I  suppose,  then,  you  won't  furnish  the  two  extra 
lamps?"  asked  Colinette  sadly. 

"  I  don't  know  why  I  should,  seeing  that  I'm  not  going 
to  belong  any  more." 

"  And  —  the  blankets  at  the  windows ;  you'll  want  to 
take  them,  too,  I  suppose  ?  " 

"I  think  so.  You  see,  they're  dad's;  I  just  loaned 
them  to  The  Bats." 

"  All  right.  Villie  will  carry  them  home  after  —  the 
next  meeting." 

It  was  a  blow  to  the  Green-eyed  One  —  this  backslid- 
ing of  the  member  best  fitted  to  fill  the  many  wants  of 
the  club. 

"  But  remember  this,  Helen  Pickens,  the  secrets  you 
vowed  to  keep  must  be  kept  just  the  same,  even  if  you 
are  not  a  Bat  any  more;  you  know  that,  I  suppose?  " 

"  Oh,  I  shan't  care  to  tell  any  of  my  crowd  about  The 
Bats,  you  may  be  sure.  I  only  hope  they  won't  hear  from 
anybody  else  that  I  ever  was  one  and  bought  jointed 
dolls  and  broke  into  deserted  houses  that  didn't  belong 


166  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

to  me  —  why,  my  goodness !  it  was  terrible.  And  if  my 
mother  ever  dreamed  I  had  done  such  things  I  don't 
know  what  she  would  do  to  me." 

"  She  will  never  know  from  any  of  us,  you  may  be 
sure  of  that,"  promised  Colinette. 

"  You  will  give  up  the  Bat  Club  now  anyway,  won't 
you?  I  don't  see  how  you  can  manage  without  blankets 
at  the  windows  to  keep  the  light  from  showing." 

"  Are  your  father's  horse-blankets  the  only  blankets  in 
the  world?"  demanded  Colinette  coldly.  Helen  did  not 
reply  to  this. 

"  Maybe  gram'ma  will  lend  us  some  bed-quilts,"  sighed 
Susan.  She  was  in  the  depths  of  a  great  disappoint- 
ment. Not  that  she  cared  so  deeply  for  the  fate  which 
seemed  to  threaten  The  Bats,  but  she  could  see  how  it  hurt 
Colinette,  and  whatever  hurt  Colinette  hurt  Susan.  And 
it  had  been  a  world  of  fun  making  the  stage  costumes 
for  Rosey  and  Inez  and  the  rest  —  oh,  a  world  of  fun. 
And  the  dolls  had  been  so  safe  from  Elmer's  destructive 
ringers.  ' 

"  I  wish,"  faltered  Helen. 

"  Out  with  it,"  encouraged  her  cousin  bruskly.  She 
was  afraid  Helen  was  going  to  demand  the  return  of 
that  piece  of  pink  silk  lining  of  which  Rosey's  newest 
stage  costume  had  just  been  made.  But  it  was  not  the 
pink  silk  that  Helen  asked  for. 

"  I  wish  you  girls  would  promise  me  never  to  tell  any 
of  my  crowd  —  Gertie  or  Neal  or  Jeff  or  Lila  —  that  I 
ever  belonged  to  that  —  er  —  barn  club,  with  hired  men 
like  Villie— " 

"  Don't  say  a  word  against  Villie  Klatz  —  not  to  me 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  167 

anyway,  Helen.  Villie  Klatz  is  a  gentleman  if  ever 
there  was  one.  Don't  ever  say  one  word  to  me  against 
Villie!" 

Helen  sneered.  "  Gertie  said  yesterday  at  school  that 
she  could  see  that  you  stood  in  pretty  solid  with  that  big 
Dutchman.  It  was  that  which  made  me  sick  of  The 
Bats  — " 

"  Yes,  very  well.  Villie  is  grand  and  good,  but  Villie 
doesn't  care  the  flip  of  his  little  finger  about  me  —  or  you 
either.  He  is  in  love  —  deeply  in  love  with  —  somebody 
else." 

Susan's  face  was  flaming.  She  managed  to  step  close 
to  her  cousin  and  give  her  a  vicious  dig  in  the  ribs.  She 
knew  where  Villie's  preference  lay,  but  Helen  did  not. 

"  How  very  interesting !  "  smirked  Helen,  adjusting 
her  glasses  with  a  thin,  clean  hand:  "  Now  you  promise 
again  not  to  tell  on  me,  and  I  promise  —  I  vow  again, 
never  to  reveal  any  Bat  secrets.  But  if  you  take  my 
advice,  girls,  you  will  break  up  the  Bat  Club,  or,  at  least, 
meet  respectably  and  in  daylight." 

"  And  call  ourselves  Mountain  Daisies,  or  Spring  Prim- 
roses, or  something  like  that,  I  suppose.  Thank  you  for 
the  advice.     Now  I  will  take  your  pin,  please." 

"  Oh,  must  I  give  that  up  ?  " 

"  You  won't  want  to  wear  more  than  one  club  badge 
at  a  time,  will  you?  And  tomorrow  you  will  have  one  of 
those  fadey  little  flowers,  I  presume." 

"  I  presume  I  shall,"  said  Helen  complacently,  and  un- 
pinned the  bat  from  the  underside  of  her  collar  where  she 
wore  it  according  to  the  usage  of  the  club. 

When  the  Morning  Glories  questioned  Helen  in  regard 


168  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

to  "  that  above-the-railroad  club  "  as  they  called  it,  never 
having  heard  the  real  name,  she  denied  any  knowledge  of 
such  a  club.  "When  Lila  Merton  and  Gertie  Calkins 
learned  that  she  knew  nothing  of  the  rival  club  their 
interest  in  Helen's  music  waned  and  they  left  her  coldly 
to  seek  Colinette  Gard.  Helen  looked  on  at  the  interview 
which  took  place  at  recess.  She  saw  Gertie  and  Lila  and 
Lizzie  Williams  gathered  about  Colinette;  she  saw  them 
fawning,  even  as  they  had  fawned  upon  her  yesterday, 
and  she  knew  very  well  what  was  being  said;  she  saw 
Colinette  regarding  them  with  that  detached,  far-away 
look  which  she  herself  knew  so  well,  that  chilly  stare 
which  bespoke  an  absent-minded  lack  of  interest.  It  was 
a  very  disagreeable  look.  She  saw  Colinette  turn  up 
her  belt  and  display  the  pin  which  she  wore  upon  the 
underside.  Helen  trembled.  Was  Colinette  actually 
showing  them  her  Bat  badge  ?  Was  she  owning  that  she 
was  a  Bat,  and  would  she  keep  the  secret  of  Helen's  hav- 
ing been  one  —  that  was,  supposing  they  should  ask  her 
right  out  ?  And  what  could  Colinette  and  Susan  Dunlap 
be  thinking  of  to  persist  in  keeping  up  the  Bat  Club  in 
the  face  of  all  that  had  happened? 

She  saw  Colinette  shake  her  head  and  make  a  motion 
as  if  to  move  away  from  the  group  which  seemed  to 
persist  in  surrounding  and  holding  her.  She  saw  Coli- 
nette take  her  pencil  and  little  drawing  pad  from  her 
pocket.  When  Colinette  did  that  she  was  usually  angry. 
Gertie,  Lila  or  Lizzie  would  appear  on  that  pad  shortly 
and  at  a  disadvantage.  That  was  Colinette's  way  of 
protecting  herself  against  enemies  of  superior  physical 
strength  who  tried  to  hold  her  against  her  will. 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  169 

The  bell  rang  with  Helen's  curiosity  unassuaged.  She 
took  her  seat  with  a  great  uneasiness  tugging  at  her 
heart.  Could  it  be  that  the  Morning  Glories  were  going 
to  take  Colinette  into  their  club,  too?  She  hoped  not. 
It  would  cut  her  own  triumph  in  half  to  share  it  with 
Colinette.  She  had  imagined  that  she  had  been  asked 
Lo  become  a  member  because  her  father  had  money  and 
she  could  play  the  piano.  But  Colinette !  Why,  she  had 
heard  Gertie  Calkins  call  Colinette  "  the  waif !  " ;  she  had 
heard  that  a  number  of  times.  And  Colinette  was  a 
waif.  She  had  no  money;  that  is,  none  to  speak  of. 
Mrs.  Gard  was  poor;  no  clothes,  no  standing  of  any  sort, 
and  she  lived  above  the  railroad  —  oh,  no,  she  had  been 
mistaken;  there  was  no  reason  why  the  Morning  Glories 
should  invite  Colinette  into  their  select  circle. 


XIV 

"  I  shan't  be  home  very  early  tonight ;  I'm  going  to 
join  some  sort  of  club,"  Neal  Brackley  told  his  pretty 
little  mother. 

"  What  sort  of  club  is  it,  Neal,  dear?  I  do  hope  there 
is  no  harm  in  it;  no  mischief,  or  anything  of  that  sort. 
You  must  tell  your  mother  every  bit  about  it  when  you 
do  come  in.  Remember  how  hard  it  is  for  mommie  to 
look  after  you  without  your  father's  help.  Put  on  your 
muffler;  the  nights  are  beginning  to  be  quite  cool.  A 
club,  you  say.  Well,  perhaps  if  you  find  me  asleep  when 
you  come  in  you  had  better  not  waken  me.  My  first  nap 
is  always  my  best." 

"  All  right,  dear.  Good-by."  He  took  her  face  be- 
tween his  palms,  lover-like,  and  kissed  her.  She  was  a 
very  pretty  little  mother,  and  a  very  silly  one,  with  her 
crown  of  prematurely  white  hair,  her  baby-blue  eyes, 
and  her  pink-and-white  complexion.  Neal  petted  and 
humored  and  flattered  her,  even  as  his  father  did,  but 
as  to  obeying  her  —  he  did  not  know  the  meaning  of 
the  word  obey. 

His  mother  preserved  a  fiction  that  Neal's  father, 
when  home,  required  strict  obedience,  but  in  truth,  Neal 
ruled  them  both  in  a  quiet  despotic  although  benevolent 
manner  without  being  conscious  that  he  did  so.  At  an 
early  age  the  boy  had  recognized  the  inherent  childishness 

170 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOCN  171 

in  both  of  his  parents.  His  mother  would  always  be 
the  little  girl;  spoiled,  exacting,  never  consistent  for  two 
hours  at  a  stretch.  His  father  was  different.  With  his 
boyishness  went  a  certain  lovableness,  a  comradery,  which 
appealed  to  his  son's  heart's  best  affections  and  wove  a 
bond  between  them  undreamed  of  by  the  mother. 

Neal  clipped  swiftly  along  the  back  street  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  railroad.  He  was  filled  with  a  pleasurable 
curiosity  as  to  "  what  those  above-the-railroad  kids  in- 
tended to  do  with  him  that  evening."  Something  ridicu- 
lous and  laughable  no  doubt.  He  liked  that  pretty  little 
Gard  girl  with  her  deep,  solemn  eyes,  her  bright  hair  and 
her  sober  lips.  She  was  a  queer,  pretty  little  thing. 
When  she  was  grown  up  and  through  school  she  would 
be  just  like  his  mother,  frivolous  and  fond  of  dress  and 
—  well  —  empty-headed.  Although,  of  course,  mother 
wasn't  just  exactly  empty-headed,  but  —  Oh,  hello! 
Here  he  was  at  the  Plummer  corner  where  he  had  been 
told  to  wait. 

He  wondered  why  he  was  to  wait  on  Plummer's  cor- 
ner ;  Jeff  wasn't  to  be  in  this  lark.  He  was  glad  to  hang 
round  Plummer's  corner.  The  Plummer  house  was  where 
his  dear  old  dad  had  spent  his  colorful  boyhood ;  and  that 
not  so  very  many  years  ago  either. 

He  went  a  little  way  around  the  corner  in  order  to 
gaze  up  at  the  western  bay  which  jutted  out  from  the 
second  story.  That  had  been  his  father's  room.  There 
he  had  climbed  out  upon  the  roof  of  the  verandah  night 
after  night  and  slid  down  the  waterpipes  just  for  the 
fun  of  doing  something  lawless  —  something  mysterious 
and  uncommon.     Pity  of  it  was  that  his  family  would 


172  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

have  offered  no  objections  to  his  walking  straight  out 
of  the  front  door  and  staying  out  until  he  saw  fit  to 
come  home.  He  had  never  stayed  out  very  late  nor  done 
wild  or  wicked  things.  In  fact,  he  enjoyed  himself  most 
back  in  the  studio  which  his  father  had  built  for  his 
exclusive  use  at  the  south  line  of  the  lot  —  and  built  all 
wrong,  not  having  consulted  the  one  most  concerned  in 
the  matter  of  windows. 

Neal  wondered  what  the  Plummers  kept  in  his  father's 
old  studio.  Chicken  feed  perhaps,  if  they  kept  chickens; 
or  garden  tools  —  the  rakes  and  the  lawn-mowers.  He 
ventured  a  little  farther  away  from  the  corner  proper  in 
order  to  see  the  outlines  of  the  building,  massing  in  and 
losing  themselves  in  the  shadows  of  the  old  hotel  which 
stood  so  close  to  it  on  the  adjoining  lot. 

There  was  really  not  much  to  be  seen.  It  was  dark, 
and  a  wet  wind  was  blowing  up  from  the  southwest.  It 
swept  down  the  side  street  with  a  chilly  promise  of  rain. 

A  dark  figure  loomed  before  Neal  —  actually  loomed, 
because  whoever  it  was  stood  a  half  head  taller  than  Neal 
himself. 

"  This  way,"  muttered  the  newcomer  mysteriously,  and 
a  tingle  of  something  delightfully  like  fear  ran  through 
Neal's  veins. 

The  person  propelling  him  with  so  much  vigor  switched 
him  off  to  the  left  and  through  a  gaping  black  door  be- 
fore he  had  time  to  realize  where  he  was.  A  whisper 
in  his  ear  announced : 

"  We  give  you  ten  minutes  alone  fo  make  up  your 
mind  whether  you  want  to  go  through  with  this  business 
or  give  it  up." 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  173 

Neal  started  to  deny  any  impulse  to  give  up,  but  in 
the  midst  of  his  denial,  heard  a  door  close  and  knew  that 
he  was  alone. 

He  stood  quite  still  where  his  unseen  guide  had  left 
him,  and  although  he  would  not  have  owned  as  much 
even  to  himself,  he  was  not  quite  at  his  ease.  He  realized 
that  he  was  in  the  old  haunted  hotel  — ■  house  of  darkness 
and  mystery.  He  was  alone,  and  at  first,  the  silence,  like 
the  darkness,  was  perfect.  A  moment  later  he  discerned  at 
what  seemed  an  unaccountable  distance  the  faint  square  of 
a  window  looking  out  into  the  night,  and  even  as  he  gazed 
it  darkened  and  he  heard  the  splash  of  angry  rain  against 
it  and  the  wind  whistled  eerily.  He  decided  to  move  in 
the  direction  of  the  window  and  started  to  do  so,  but 
something  cold  and  flabby  struck  him  in  the  face.  He 
threw  out  both  hands  without  encountering  anything. 

Again  that  flabby  touch,  and  this  time  his  inquiring 
hand  grasped  an  object  of  such  uncanny  suggestions  that 
he  let  go  quickly  and,  whatever  it  was,  swung  away  into 
the  darkness.  Again  he  started  in  the  direction  of  the 
window  and  again  came  in  contact  with  that  intangible 
something  in  the  reaching  depths  of  the  room. 

He  succeeded  in  grasping  it  this  time,  but  let  go  again 
immediately  as  he  recognized  what  it  was  —  a  bat !  He 
distinctly  felt  its  leathery  wings,  spread  upon  prickly, 
umbrella-like  spines ;  its  uncanny  furry  little  body,  and  he 
threw  it  from  him  in  disgust.  It  escaped,  but  came  back 
again,  bumping  his  cheek  fearlessly.  He  dodged  back 
and  forth  to  avoid  it,  and  felt  it  clawing  on  the  back 
of  his  neck.  He  snatched  at  it,  secured  it  this  time,  and 
knew  that  it  was  no  bat,  but  a  great,  hairy  spider. 


174  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

He  uttered  an  exclamation  of  horror  and  cold  sweat 
oozed  out  on  his  forehead.  Then  his  better  judgment 
coming  to  his  aid,  he  stood  perfectly  still  and  was  troubled 
no  more.  After  awhile  he  put  forth  a  hand  which  en- 
countered an  object  in  midair,  hairy,  spiney  —  disgust- 
ing. He  pulled  it  and  it  seemed  to  avoid  his  clutch  and 
to  spring  forward.  He  tried  again  with  the  same  re- 
sult.    Then  he  laughed  softly. 

"  Rubber !  "  he  murmured.  "  Pretty  cute !  Suspended 
by  rubber  cords.     Well,  they  made  me  sweat  all  right  — " 

"  Neal  Brackley." 

He  started.  The  whisperer  must  have  been  light  of 
foot  to  be  able  to  get  so  near  without  making  any  noise. 
But  the  wind  and  rain  were  now  making  a  good  deal  of 
disturbance  outside  which  well  might  have  prevented 
a  footfall  from  being  heard. 

"  Are  you  still  anxious  to  become  a  Brother  of  the 
Night?" 

"  Yes." 

"  Will  you  keep  the  secrets?  " 

"  I  will." 

"  You  solemnly  vow  this  ?  " 

"  I  do." 

"  I  will  take  you  to  the  haunted  room  to  stand  the  test 
of  the  terrible  tale."  A  hand  sought  his,  a  smaller  one 
than  that  which  had  thrust  him  into  this  gloomy  place. 
He  was  sure  that  this  hand  belonged  to  a  girl,  but  he  could 
see  nothing. 

They  moved  slowly  over  an  uneven  floor.  A  door 
opened,  letting  them  through  into  another  room.  They 
crept  up  a  stair,  through  a  draughty  hall  and  through 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  175 

another  door  which  closed  behind  them  with  a  decided 
click;  a  click  which  reminded  the  victim  of  the  noise  of 
a  trap  shutting  iron  jaws  together. 

A  box  was  thrust  with  some  force  against  the  calves 
of  his  legs,  and  he  sat  down  upon  it  without  in  the  least 
intending  to  sit  down.  The  room  was  in  darkness  and 
in  silence  save  for  the  noise  made  by  the  storm  outside. 
But  he  had  a  feeling  that  there  were  others  in  the  room 
beside  himself  and  his  guide. 

His  guide  sighed  heavily,  and  the  sigh  was  echoed 
from  all  corners  of  the  room. 

"  Ssh-h-h,  do  not  speak,"  whispered  the  voice  in  his 
ear. 

"  I  didn't,"  remonstrated  Neal,  slightly  ruffled. 

"  This  is  the  Haunted  Chamber,"  went  on  the  whisper- 
ing voice.  "  One  night  long  ago  a  man  went  to  bed  in 
this  room.  People  were  dancing  downstairs.  The  man 
could  hear  the  music  and  the  feet  of  the  dancers."  (Sighs 
from  the  darkness,  and  a  whimpering  noise  as  of  girls 
weeping.)  "The  man  was  just  dropping  to  sleep — " 
("  Now  comes  the  murder,"  thought  Neal,  and  braced 
himself  for  the  horrible  details.)  "when  he  felt  icy  fin- 
gers fumbling  over  his  face." 

The  effect  of  this  recital  was  considerably  heightened 
by  the  touch  of  an  ice-cold  hand  upon  his  own  cheek  at 
that  moment.  He  started  up  with  a  smothered  exclama- 
tion. 

"  Sh-h-h !  "  hissed  the  voice,  and  Neal  subsided  again. 
The  whispered  tale  went  on. 

"  He  tried  to  grasp  the  cold  hand.  He  did  grasp  it  — 
by  the  wrist.     He  ran  his  hand  to  the  elbow  —  and  — 


176  COLIXETTE  OF  REDMOON 

there  the  arm  ended!     There  was  no  body  belonging  to 
the  arm!" 

The  cold  fingers  were  on  Neal's  forehead  again.  He 
too  grasped  the  wrist  belonging  to  the  fingers:  instinc- 
tively he  followed  the  haunted  man's  example  and  ran  his 
hand  up  the  arm  as  far  as  the  elbow,  where  the  arm 
ended.  There  had  been  no  body  belonging  to  the  arm 
which  had  troubled  the  haunted  man,  there  was  no  body 
belonging  to  this  arm.  It  fell  heavily,  lifelessly  into  the 
boy's  grasp.  Struck  with  horror  he  hurled  the  object 
from  his  hand  and  heard  it  strike  a  distant  wall  and  fall 
to  the  floor.  The  room  was  filled  with  fearful  noises  — 
groans  and  stifled  shrieks.  Neal  felt  like  shrieking  him- 
self. Over  somewhere  in  a  far  corner  a  girl  began  to 
whimper  quite  naturally  that,  "  if  they  didn't  quit  this 
she  was  going  to  faint !  "  It  reassured  him  —  this  little 
human  touch  of  reality. 

"  I  will  now  take  you  to  the  mysterious  cellar  —  the 
terrible  cellar!  "  promised  the  whispering  voice,  and  Xeal 
admitted  —  to  himself  —  that  he  wished  the  initiation 
were  over. 

With  his  mind  filled  with  the  ghostly  tale  he  was  led 
into  a  hall  once  more,  down  a  flight  of  stairs,  through 
innumerable  rooms  wrhose  doors  squeaked  upon  rusty 
hinges,  down  another  flight  of  rickety  steps  into  the  dank 
atmosphere  of  a  cellar.  He  heard  steps  going,  he  heard 
steps  coming,  while  his  guide  stood  very  still  holding  his 
hand.  The  touch  of  that  hand  had  a  comfortable  feel, 
and  when  it  was  suddenly  withdrawn,  Xeal  felt  as  if  it 
had  pushed  him  off  a  dock  into  fathoms  of  black  water. 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  177 

"  Go  find  a  door!  "  the  voice  commanded  close  to  his 
ear.  "  If  you  can't  find  a  door  you  will  have  to  stay  here 
forever  and  ever !  " 

"  Oh,  no  I  won't,"  replied  Neal  confidently  and  feeling 
very  much  like  retaliating  now  on  this  club  which  had 
at  his  request  made  its  initiation  rites  fearful  enough  to 
please  the  most  exacting  candidate,  "  I'll  go  right  back  up 
the  stairs  and  out  that  way — " 

"  Don't  fall  into  the  open  well!  "  wrarned  a  sepulchral 
.voice  from  somewhere  above  his  head. 

"Where  are  you?"  demanded  Neal.  There  was  no 
response.  He  swung  his  arms  hoping  to  come  in  con- 
tact with  some  human  being,  but  there  was  no  one  near 
him.  He  began  to  wander  in  the  hope  of  locating  the 
stairs.  He  stamped  about  quite  recklessly  in  order  to 
prove  his  entire  disbelief  in  the  reality  of  the  open  well 
theory,  and  yet  the  picture  of  an  open  well  yawning  at 
his  feet  was  ever  present  in  his  mind  as  he  stumbled 
about  in  a  vain  search  for  the  stairs.  He  fell  over  in- 
numerable obstacles,  stopping  repeatedly  to  learn  their 
nature.  He  identified  a  pair  of  carpenter's  horses,  a 
woodpile,  many  drygoods  boxes,  barrels,  and  once  some- 
thing which  he  decided  to  be  a  swinging  churn.  Then 
his  hands  encountered  a  stone  wall  —  something  tangible 
at  least  and  correspondingly  comfortable. 

Well,  his  captors  had  instructed  him  to  hunt  for  a 
door;  he  had  taken  it  upon  himself  to  disobey  and  search 
for  the  stairs  instead.  He  had  not  succeeded  in  having 
his  own  way;  he  would  now  try  theirs.  He  began  to 
scrub  along  the  stones  hunting  eagerly  for  the  suggested 


178  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

door.  He  ran  into  a  long  table,  or  carpenter's  bench  in 
one  section  and  a  little  farther  on  into  a  cupboard  built 
against  the  wall. 

He  proceeded  hopefully  until  after  he  had  tallied  up 
the  fourth  corner. 

"  Now,"  he  muttered,  "  I  have  been  clear  around  and 
there  is  no  door.  They  are  kidding  me."  But  he  stum- 
bled on,  past  the  carpenter's  bench  again,  and  knew  he 
was  in  line  for  the  cupboard,  when  a  breath,  a  whiff  of 
earthy  air  struck  his  face.  He  thought  of  the  open 
well,  and  as  he  did  so  his  groping  hands  lost  the  stones 
and  struck  into  space.  He  thrust  forth  a  cautious  foot 
expecting  to  find  the  rim  of  the  well,  but  the  solid  earth 
was  still  underneath  it.  He  stretched  out  his  arms  and 
found  a  wall  of  earth  on  either  side.  Then  he  advanced 
cautiously  inch  by  inch  and  came  at  last  plump  against  a 
wooden  barrier.     The  door  at  last ! 


XV 

This  must  be  the  door  at  the  end  of  a  tunnel  which 
had  not  been  in  existence  on  his  first  excursion  around 
the  cellar.  There  was  no  latch  or  other  fastening,  but 
when  he  pushed  against  the  barrier  it  gave  way  slowly 
and  he  found  himself  face  to  face  with  Villie  Klatz. 
Villie  held  a  dim  little  lamp  in  his  hand  and  laughed  in 
a  welcoming  way. 

"  I  yess  you  got  tru  all  right,"  he  said.  '*  I  yess  now 
you're  a  good  Bat.  Come  on  up  an'  the  Green-eyed  One, 
our  boss,  vill  tell  you  the  rest  w'at  you  got  to  do."  He 
led  the  way  up  the  little  stairs,  stopping  to  remark  to  Neal 
who  followed  him,  "  Ain'dt  it  fun  yet?  " 

It  was  astonishing  what  an  illumination  two  oil  lamps 
made  after  all  that  darkness  and  mystery.  All  five  Bats 
shook  hands  with  him,  congratulated  him  and  welcomed 
him  into  the  organization. 

"  You  pulled  it  off  all  right,"  he  assured  Colinette. 
"It's  scarey  enough;  and  the  worst  of  the  outfit  was 
Villie's  whooping  up  about  that  open  well.  I  stood  the 
leather  bats  and  the  wax-thread  spiders  and  the  ghost 
stories  pretty  well,  but  to  wander  round  in  a  perfectly 
dark  cellar  expecting  every  minute  to  go  bumping  from 
stone  to  stone  till  I  struck  bottom  fifty  feet  below  —  Say, 
Villie,  did  you  think  up  that  idea  yourself?  " 

Villie  grinned. 

179 


180  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

"  Is  there  really  a  well  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know ;  there  may  be,"  said  Villie. 

"  And  where  are  we  now  ?  Honestly,  I'm  so  fuddled 
—  why,  this  must  be  —     It  is !  " 

"  Yes,  it  is,"  owned  Colinette. 

"  Do  the  Plummers  — " 

"  No,  they  don't;  and  we  don't  want  'em  to.  When 
the  Plummers  find  out  we'll  have  to  move.  That's  why 
we  were  glad  Jeff  refused  to  join;  he  might  have  told 
and  Mr.  Plummer  might  have  — "  Neal  was  not  listen- 
ing. 

"  So  this  is  the  studio  father's  father  built  for  him, 
with  the  windows  all  wrong  and  not  enough  of  'em!" 
Neal  took  down  a  jar  holding  a  preserved  snake.  He 
held  it  gingerly.  "  Ugh !  This  wasn't  father's  idea ;  this 
was  another  boy's  collection.  Father  let  him  keep  it  here 
in  his  den  because  his  mother  —  that  is,  the  other  boy's 
mother,  wouldn't  have  it  about  the  house.  And  what's 
in  the  big  box  behind  the  bedquilt?  " 

Susan  was  hurt.  This  was  exactly  what  she  had  ex- 
pected from  this  smart  boy  from  below-the-railroad. 

"  That,"  said  Colinette  with  dignity,  "  is  not  a  bed- 
quilt ;  it's  a  horse-blanket  —  that  is,  it  was.  It  is  now  a 
drop  curtain  and  this  is  a  theatre."  She  swept  the  gray 
folds  aside  disclosing  Susan's  Rosey,  Helen's  Kitty 
Candle,  Gusta's  Constance  Malone,  and  her  own  beloved 
Narka  LaRick,  all  in  appropriate  Colonial  costume,  posed 
before  a  backdrop  representing  a  harvest  field.  Directly 
behind  the  little  people  were  "  stooks  "  of  grain,  while 
the  cut  stubble  swept  back  and  back  to  a  horizon,  misty 
with  summer,  broken  by  faraway  clumps  of  trees  and 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  181 

faintly  discerned  fences.  A  pink  farmhouse  aaoweu  - 
point  of  contrast  in  the  distance.  The  painted  side  scen- 
ery and  drop  cloths  took  up  the  scheme  and  carried  it  for- 
ward to  the  proscenium  which  framed  it  in. 

Colinette  held  one  of  the  lamps  on  one  side,  Susan 
held  another  at  the  opposite  side.  The  faces  of  both 
girls  were  anxious. 

"  Great ! '   came  the  verdict  at  last.     "  Who  made  it?  " 

Colinette  put  down  the  lamp  and  drew  the  curtains. 
Susan  disappeared  behind  the  theatre. 

"  We  all  did,"  explained  Colinette  eagerly.  "  We've 
been  working  at  it  a  long  time." 

"  \ »  ho  painted  the  scenery?  " 

"  I  did,  and  Villie  made  the  properties  —  you'll  see 
those  in  a  rmnute  —  and  Susan  made  the  costumes — " 

"  \   here  did  you  get  such  nifty  dolls?  " 

"  We  don't  call  them  dolls,"  corrected  Colinette, 
'  You  see,  they're  really  not  dolls,  they  are  actresses. 
This  is  the  Kitty  Candle  Unmoving  Picture  Company. 
Zach  of  us  girls  bought  two  actresses  —  well,  Susan  had 
one  of  hers  a  long  time  ago  —  yes,  Susan's  character  was 
really  a  doll.  When  Susan  was  young  she  played  with 
her  as  little  girls  really  play  with  dolls.  Her  name  was 
Rosey,  and  it  was  she  who  put  us  in  mind  of  this  theatre 
business;  she  looked  so  like  a  real  little  person  standing 
up  and  dancing.  Once  in  the  city  I  saw  a  puppet  show, 
but  this  is  much  better." 

"  There's  a  whole  story  to  it,"  explained  Villie. 
"  Culinette  she  made  it  up  and,  honest,  Susan  she  shanges 
'em  around  so  fast  that  you'd  most  forgit  that  they  ain't 
doin'  it  themselves  —  There;  see?  Ain'dt  that  cunnins' ?  " 


182  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

The  curtain  opened  on  an  interior.  A  high-posted  bed 
with  a  comfortable  roll  to  its  edge  and  plump  white 
pillows  just  discernible  behind  flowered  curtains.  ("  Old 
summer  dress  of  grandmohter's,"  Colinette  explained. 
Villie  held  the  lamp  which  Susan  had  relinquished.) 
There  was  a  fireplace  with  a  fowling  piece  hanging  above 
and  an  oven  door  at  the  side;  a  high-backed  chair,  a 
braided  rug  and  a  hooded  cradle. 

"  Great !  "  repeated  Neal. 

"If  only  the  lights  were  stronger,"  lamented  Colinette. 
"  It's  prettier  in  the  daytime  when  you  can  see  the  colors." 

"  Great !  "  Neal's  artistic  sense  was  fully  alive  to  the 
achievement. 

"  Say  off  the  whole  story  and  shange  'em  round  quick 
the  way  you  done  before,"  commanded  Villie,  greatly 
elated  by  the  effect  the  show  was  having  on  "  the  tony 
boy  from  below-the-railroad." 

"  No,  we  haven't  time,"  said  a  voice  from  the  green 
room,  and  the  back  drop  rolled  up  to  disclose  Susan, 
gigantic  in  comparison  with  the  scale  established  by  the 
dolls  and  properties  on  the  stage,  "  I'm  nervous  now  for 
fear  my  folks  are  home  and  looking  for  me." 

"  Oh,  do  give  the  whole  play,"  begged  Neal.  But  the 
girls  would  not  consent.  Susan  was  already  putting  each 
actor  into  its  own  box  and  closing  up  the  theatre. 

"  Next  meeting  we  will  give  the  whole  show  and  tell 
you  how  we  made  the  things,"  promised  Colinette. 
"  Part  of  the  paint  I  bought,  and  part  we  got  from  the 
bottom  of  half-dried-up  house-paint  cans.  The  canvas 
isn't  canvas  at  all,  but  old  window  blinds  and  a  good  deal 
of  it  is  very  rotten." 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  183 

"  Gracious !  What  couldn't  you  have  done  with  real 
canvas,  paints  and  brushes  — " 

"  I  had  real  brushes,"  owned  Colinette.  "  I  borrowed 
them." 

"  My  father  would  like  you,"  said  Neal,  "  he'd  think 
you  were  a  whirlwind.  He'd  get  busy  and  help  you 
out  in  great  shape." 

"  He  has  already,"  said  Colinette,  with  a  sheepish  little 
smile.  "  I  think  —  I'm  almost  sure  —  he  had  loaned  me 
his  brushes  —  unconsciously,  you  know." 

Everybody  laughed,  Villie  so  loud  that  Susan  "  Ssh- 
h-h-hed  "  for  silence.  Colinette  dragged  out  the  paint 
box  and  displayed  its  contents. 

"I've  kept  the  brushes  all  in  good  shape;  never  left 
them  to  stiffen  up — " 

"  Why,  when  father  comes  home  and  I  tell  him  about 
this — "  began  Neal,  but  was  cuf  short  by  a  storm  of 
indignant  protests.  Tell  his  father?  Didn't  he  remem- 
ber his  vows?  He  must  tell  nobody!  He  must  not 
mention  the  word  Bat  except  to  someone  who  might  be- 
come a  member  of  the  club! 

"  It's  a  shame,  though,"  he  grumbled,  "  father  would 
enjoy  this.  Father's  just  a  big  kid —  Gee!  I'd  like  to 
help  initiate  father !  " 

"  AVe  must  wind  up  this  meeting  and  git !  "  said  Susan. 
"  Now  explain,  oh,  Green-eyed  One,  about  the  watch- 
word, the  High  Call,  and  the  price  of  the  pin,  and  then 
let's  go  along  home." 

The  Green-eyed  One  proceeded  to  make  these  cryptic 
matters  plain  to  the  newly  initiated  Bat.     They  also  ex- 


184  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

plained  that  they  did  not  call  Colinette  the  Green-eyed 
One  because  her  eyes  were  green. 

"  They  are,  though,"  Neal  interrupted  them  to  remark, 
"  Dark  green,  like  the  sea  in  a  storm." 

But  The  Bats  insisted  that  had  nothing  to  do  with  the 
title.  Susan's  eyes  were  black,  yet  sometime  she  would 
be  the  Green-eyed  One ;  and  Bob's  eyes  and  Villie's  were 
both  sort  of  buttermilky. 

"  And  your  eyes  — "  Colinette  peered  at  him  as  he 
stood  grinning,  "  well,  I  can't  tell  in  this  light." 

"  Veil,  they're  good  enough  already,"  said  Villie 
largely. 

Neal  was  instructed  as  to  the  wearing  of  his  badge  — 
always  concealed  under  the  lapel  of  his  coat;  not  openly 
and  glaringly  as  the  blue  morning  glories  were  worn,  be- 
cause he  was  a  Brother  of  the  Night,  secret,  wicked  — 
dreadful!  That  was  the  idea  of  the  club;  to  get  all  the 
fun  of  being  secret  and  wicked  and  dreadful  without 
really  being  any  one  of  the  three,  Colinette  explained,  and 
Neal  voted  the  idea  a  tip-top  one. 

And  the  watchword  of  the  club  was  Ambition.  To  be 
a  member  of  the  club  in  good  standing  a  Bat  must  have 
at  least  one  absorbing  ambition ;  an  ambition  to  do  some- 
thing; to  be  something;  to  have  something.  They  were 
to  tell  that  ambition  freely  to  club  members  and  each  and 
every  Bat  was  under  obligation  to  further  that  ambition 
so  far  as  lay  in  his  or  her  power.  They  had  taken  one 
member  who  had  owned  at  the  time  of  her  entrance  that 
she  did  not  have  one  ungratifled  desire.  Her  membership 
had  been  a  failure  and  she  had  left  the  club. 

"  And  after  all  she  did  have  one  ambition,"  said  Susan, 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  185 

"  Her  ambition  was  to  be  a  Morning  Glory,  so  now  let 
her  gratify  it." 

"  Susan's  and  my  ambition  has  been  this  little  theatre 
so  far,"  explained  Colinette.  "  Gusta's  is  a  back-comb 
with  jewels  in  it;  Villie's  a  complete  toolchest  —  whole 
set  of  chisels,  you  know;  Rob's  is  a  fiddle." 

"A  fiddle?"  asked  Neal. 

"  And  of  course,  money  for  some  lessons.  He  has 
always  wanted  a  fiddle,  but  his  father  doesn't  approve  of 
the  noise  of  the  practice  around  the  house." 

"  I'll  give  you  my  fiddle,"  said  Neal.  "  I  have  quite 
a  nice  one  that  I  shall  never  use  in  the  world.  My  ambi- 
tion is  to  play  the  piano  well  enough  so  that  folks  will 
sit  still  in  rows  in  a  big  theatre  and  listen  —  will  really 
pay  money  to  hear  me  play.  So  you  see,  I  shall  never 
have  any  time  to  monkey  with  a  fiddle." 

Rob  looked  dazed  by  his  sudden  stroke  of  fortune. 
He  had  not  heretofore  been  a  particularly  enthusiastic 
Bat.     Susan  put  a  damper  on  his  enthusiasm. 

"  Pa  won't  let  you  have  it  round  the  house,  you  know 
he  wouldn't,  and  Elmer  would  fool  with  it  and  break 
it,  and  Gram'ma  Gard  thinks  fiddles  are  wicked  because 
folks  play  dance  music  on  'em." 

"  What's  the  matter  with  stabling  the  thing  right 
here?"  suggested  Neal. 

"Yes,  why  not?"  seconded  Rob.  "You've  got  your 
dawl-baby  theatre  and  Villie's  accumulatin'  chisels;  why 
can't  I—" 

"  And  I  can  give  you  first  aid  treatment,"  promised 
Neal,  "  right  here  in  this  building." 

"  But  the  noise,"  objected  Susan. 


186  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

"Well,  it's  supposed  to  be  haunted  anyhow,  isn't  it?" 
demanded  Neal.  And  so  the  matter  was  settled.  The 
High  Call  was  then  explained,  Neal  pinned  his  badge  on 
the  under  side  of  his  coat  lapel  and  parted  from  the 
swarm  well  pleased  with  the  night's  adventures. 

Elmer  was  at  home  alone  when  the  girls  arrived.  He 
was  in  a  bad  humor. 

"  Where  you  been?  "  he  demanded  suspiciously. 

"  Everywhere,"  answered  Colinette. 

"  No,  you  ain't,  for  I  just  been  there."  The  girls  both 
laughed.  "  I  come  down  from  Aunt  Rinthy's  —  there 
wasn't  any  fun  there;  Helen  was  grouchy  and  wouldn't 
play  dominoes  —  so  I  come  home  and  you  wasn't  here, 
an'  you  wasn't  over  to  gram'ma's,  for  I  went  over  there, 
an'  you  wasn't  over  to  Klatzes,  for  I  went  over  there  — " 

"  We've  been  spending  the  evening  with  Neal  Brack- 
ley,"  said  Colinette,  and  Susan  gasped. 

"  Helen  said  you  was  up  to  something  and  she  knew 
what,  but  she  dassent  tell,"  accused  Elmer  vindictively. 
Again  Susan  gasped. 

"  Helen  was  stringing  you,  I  guess,"  said  Colinette 
calmly,  and  took  off  her  dripping  cloak.  "  Come  on ; 
I'll  play  you  a  game  of  dominoes  until  grandmother 
comes." 

But  Elmer  would  not  play  dominoes  with  Colinette. 
He  had  never  enjoyed  playing  dominoes  with  Colinette. 

All  the  next  day  at  school  Helen  avoided  her  cousins. 
She  even  hurried  at  night  so  as  not  to  be  obliged  to  walk 
home  with  them. 

"  She's  going  to  give  the  whole  thing  away ;  you  can 
see  that  plain  enough,"  predicted  Susan. 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  187 

A  night  or  two  after  this  Helen  and  her  mother  spent 
the  evening  at  the  Dunlaps'.  Susan  suffered  a  few  mis- 
givings when  she  caught  sight  of  her  aunt's  flat  face 
framed  in  a  protecting  shawl. 

"  Cold  enough  tonight  to  snow,"  shuddered  Aunt 
Rinthy,  giving  Mrs.  Dunlap  her  shawl  and  hunching  her 
shoulders  over  the  stove. 

Susan  brought  chairs  from  the  front  room  where  there 
was  no  fire.  Mrs.  Pickens  took  one  but  Helen  wavered ; 
she  had  received  a  peremptory  signal  from  her  cousin  to 
follow  her  into  the  kitchen. 

"Where  was  you  folks  the  other  night?"  inquired 
Aunt  Rinthy  with  a  smile  so  broad  that  Susan  quaked. 

"What  night?" 

"The  night  of  the  Odd  Fellows'  supper;  the  night  it 
rained  so  and  Elmer  was  supposed  to  spend  the  evening 
up  to  our  place?  " 

"  Oh,  we  were  round,"  answered  Susan  vaguely,  and 
glared  at  Helen.  Aunt  Rinthy's  smile  widened.  Helen 
looked  severely  innocent. 

"  Elmer  couldn't  find  you  when  he  come  home.  He 
said  you  wa'n't  to  gram'ma's  with  Colinette,  nor  to 
Klatzes'." 

"  Now,  Susan,  where  was  you  ?  Tell  your  Aunt 
Rinthy,"  commanded  Mrs.  Dunlap  of  her  daughter. 

"  Oh,  dodging  Elmer,"  responded  Susan  scornfully. 

Mrs.  Dunlap  turned  to  Aunt  Rinthy  with  a  little  purs- 
ing of  the  lips. 

.     "  The  boys  always  plague  Susan  so,  she's  spent  a  good 
part  of  her  life  hiding  away  from  'em." 

Aunt  Rinthy's  smile  faded  a  bit. 


188  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

"  Wasn't  Colinette  with  yeh?  " 

"When?" 

"  When?  Why,  the  other  night;  the  night  I'm  talkin' 
about." 

Susan  deliberated  at  length.     "The  other  —  night?" 

"  I  know  she  was,"  said  Mrs.  Pickens,  "  because  Elmer 
said  you  both  come  in  drippin'  wet." 

"  Oh,  yes ! "  cried  Susan,  delighted  to  have  been  set 
right,  "  Oh,  yes,  Colinette  was  with  me  that  night ;  I  re- 
member now.  Better  not  leave  your  rubbers  there,  Aunt 
Rinthy,  you'll  have  the  toes  curling  right  up.  Awful  hot 
there."  Aunt  Rinthy  sprang  to  rescue  her  property,  and 
her  brother  coming  in  with  the  evening  paper  just  then, 
Susan  escaped  to  the  kitchen  towing  Helen  in  her  wake. 

"  You've  been  telling !  "  she  hissed. 

"  I  have  not !  "  retorted  Helen. 

"  Well,  you'd  better  not;  we  won't  stand  for  it." 

"  Are  you  going  to  try  to  keep  that  thing  up  ?  " 

"  That  thing?     You  mean  The  Bats?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  We  are." 

"  What  will  you  do  when  the  weather  gets  so  cold 
you  can't  stand  it  to  meet  in  — " 

"  Hush  up !  "  commanded  Susan.  "  Name  no  names 
and  no  places,  if  you  please.  When  it  gets  too  cold  to 
meet  in  —  our  regular  place  we  shall  probably  flit  around 
somewhere  else,  or  wait  till  spring.  Bats  go  to  sleep  in 
the  winter  time  anyway." 

"If  you  go  to  sleep  till  warm  weather  comes  in  the 
spring  you'll  never  wake  up  again  as  Bats,  believe  me. 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  189 

And,  meantime,  I  want  ma's  lamp  and  pa's  blankets 
back,  if  you  please." 

"  They're  back  already,"  said  Susan  haughtily. 
"  They're  in  your  father's  barn  this  minute.  And  you 
ask  Villie  Klatz  for  the  three  dollars  you  paid  for  the 
dolls;  he's  got  it.  We  sent  it  to  you  by  him  the  other 
night." 

Helen's  surprise  was  genuine.  She  started  to  say 
something  in  reply,  but  her  mother's  voice  rose  in  the 
sitting-room. 

"  Have  you  heard  the  news  ?  "  She  was  addressing 
the  elder  Dunlaps.  "  Helen's  been  invited  into  high  so- 
ciety. She's  been  invited  to  join  the  Morning  Glory 
Club.     Gertie  Calkins  is  the  head  of  it,  you  know,  and  — " 

Susan  stepped  to  the  door.  "  Oh,"  she  said,  "  so  has 
Colinette." 

Four  voices  cried  out  together,  "  Colinette !  " 

"  Yes,  Gertie  Calkins  and  Lila  Merton  asked  her  way 
along  last  week." 

"  Well,  my  land !  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Pickens.  "  I  don't 
see  how  Colinette  can  train  in  that  crowd.  Who'd  dress 
her,  I'd  like  to  know;  Gram'ma  Gard  can't.  Gram'ma 
Gard  is  goin'  to  have  all  she  can  do  to  keep  herself 
dressed,  let  alone — " 

"  Oh,  Gram'ma  Gard  won't  have  to  do  anything 
extra,"  replied  Susan,  "  because  Colinette  ain't  going  to 
bother  'em.     She  turned  'em  down  flat !  " 


XVI 

During  the  following  week  a  very  serious  interview 
took  place  between  the  "  above-the-railroad "  cousins. 
Helen  was  again  solemnly  warned  as  to  what  would 
happen  if  she  allowed  herself  to  be  coaxed  or  driven  into 
divulging  any  of  the  secrets  of  the  Brothers  of  the  Night. 

"  And  no  stirring  up  Elmer  to  tag  and  make  trouble, 
either,"  warned  Susan.  This  warning,  however,  had 
come  a  little  late;  Elmer  was  keenly  alive  to  the  fact 
that  something  was  going  on  without  his  knowledge  or 
approval.  A  persistent  rumor  floated  through  the  school 
of  the  existence  of  a  secret  society,  and  the  very  fact 
that  it  was  secret  and  no  one  able  to  trace  it  or  its  doings, 
made  it  the  subject  of  excited  conjecture.  When  Gertie 
Calkins  came  out  flatly  and  asked  Neal  Brackley  if  he  had 
joined,  and  Neal  flapped  back  the  lapel  of  his  coat  dis- 
closing the  mysterious  emblem,  the  news  flew  like  wild- 
fire and  Neal  was  beset  with  questions,  to  all  of  which 
he  gave  the  same  reply,  "  I'm  sworn  to  keep  mum." 

JefT  Plummer,  who  had  been  the  most  insistent,  sud- 
denly ceased  to  question,  and  came  out  with  a  Morning 
Glory  badge  pinned  conspicuously  on  his  sweater.  Helen 
Pickens  also  wore  a  Morning  Glory  badge  and  assumed 
airs  of  superiority  on  the  few  occasions  when  she  came 
in  contact  with  her  old-time  companions.  She  followed 
a  system  of  aloofness,  walking  home  from  school  alone 

190 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  191 

after  the  rest  had  gone.  She  kept  the  secrets  of  her  dis- 
carded club,  however,  coldly  informing  Elmer  that  she 
knew  nothing  about  the  movements  of  Colinette  and  the 
others,  and  that  if  he  wanted  to  find  out  what  they  were 
up  to  he  would  have  to  do  so  through  his  own  exertions. 

Meanwhile,  she  was  not  satisfied  with  her  new  affilia- 
tion. She  wore  the  Morning  Glory  badge,  to  be  sure,  but 
found  to  her  dismay  that  when  she  attempted  to  join  a 
knot  of  M.  G.'s,  of  which  Gertie  Calkins  and  Lila  Merton 
formed  the  center,  the  knot  undid  itself  as  it  were,  and 
became  nonexistent.  Even  the  less  important  members 
had  scant  time  to  bestow  upon  a  member  who  was  even 
less  important  than  themselves.  They,  one  and  all,  were 
too  busy  trying  to  work  their  own  way  upwards. 

But  Helen  hoped  much  from  the  coming  entertainment 
of  which  the  club  members  talked  every  day.  It  was  to 
be  far  beyond  anything  ever  attempted  as  yet  either  by 
the  school  or  by  the  club.  It  was  not  yet  decided  just 
what  the  nature  of  it  was  to  be,  but  it  must  be  something 
new ;  something  novel  and  extremely  fetching. 

The  Bats,  meanwhile,  through  a  stroke  of  luck,  had 
been  enabled  to  restore  their  clubroom  and  theatre  which 
had  been  stripped  by  Helen's  withdrawal.  Neal  Brack- 
ley  would  have  furnished  lamps,  curtains  and  all  without 
remuneration.  His  mother's  garret  was  fairly  burst- 
ing with  material  of  all  sorts,  he  declared.  But  this  The 
Bats  would  not  allow,  although  they  did  accept  curtains 
for  the  windows  and  for  the  theatre. 

The  night  on  which  they  gave  the  entire  play  for  Neal's 
benefit  both  Susan  and  Colinette  felt  the  professional 
thrill  which  comes  from  an  extra  full  house.     It  was  a 


192  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

pleasure  to  manipulate  the  rich,  soft-hanging  garnet  cur- 
tains in  place  of  the  stiff  gray  horse-blankets  which  re- 
fused to  draw  back  far  enough  or  to  stay  back  after  they 
were  drawn,  and  were  not  particularly  effective  as  a  frame 
for  the  scenes.  The  glory  of  the  new  curtains  added 
wonderfully  to  the  harvest  picture  and  to  the  Colonial 
interior. 

"  But  I  do  wish  we  might  have  electricity  on  that  out- 
fit," mused  Neal.  "  I  wonder,  Villie,  if  you  and  I 
couldn't  steal  a  wire  across  from  the  pole  on  the  cor- 
ner  — 

"  No,  no."  Villie  put  his  foot  down  decidedly. 
"  How  do  you  s'pose  the  Plummers  would  say,  '  Hello, 
how  is  that  wire  coming  on  our  storehouse  ? '  " 

"  No,  no,"  seconded  Colinette,  "  that  would  be  carry- 
ing things  too  far." 

"If  we  get  two  more  lamps,"  said  Susan,  "  it  will  be 
light  enough.  And  you  can  say  what  you  please,  we 
can't  hope  to  keep  this  secret  forever.  Folks  are  going 
to  find  out  about  this  clubhouse  and  rout  us  out  of  here. 
Why,  just  suppose  our  curtains  should  get  shoved  aside 
ever  so  little  at  one  of  our  windows  and  the  Plummers 
should  see  our  light  shining  out;  we'd  be  invited  to  get 
out  of  here  in  a  hurry.  That  is  why  I  was  in  favor  of 
getting  Jeff  into  this  crowd.  He  could  have  said,  '  Why, 
yes,  I  let  'em  meet  in  our  storehouse,'  and  everything 
would  have  been  all  right.  But  none  of  you  agreed  with 
me  and  it's  too  late  now,  for  he's  an  N.  G.,  as  Colinette 
called  'em  one  day." 

Neal  chuckled.  "  You'd  have  to  soften  your  initiation 
rites  before  you  would  get  Jeff  Plummer  through;  he's 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  193 

the  biggest  coward  that  I  know.  He  comes  home  by 
way  of  Main  Street  because  he  hates  to  cross  the  rail- 
road embankment  alone  after  dark." 

"Haw,  haw!"  laughed  Villie  Klatz,  glancing  trium- 
phantly at  Susan,  "  I  know  why.  One  night  Rob  Dun- 
lap  an'  I  saw  Jeff  comin'  an'  I  got  down  on  all  four  so, 
an'  Rob  he  got  down  on  all  four  an'  put  his  coat  up  over 
my  back,  an'  we  looked  like  something  awful  fierce,  I 
bet.  And  we  made  a  groan  as  loud  as  we  could  an' 
wallered  in  the  grass,  an'  Jeff  he  lit  out  a  yellin'.  Great 
big  man  like  he  is  too,  an'  a  ball  pitcher." 

"  I  don't  think  that  was  smart,"  said  Susan  disapprov- 
ingly, and  although  Neal  was  convulsed  with  laughter 
Villie  repented  having  told  the  adventure. 

"  I  know  it  wasn't  smart,"  he  confessed,  "  an'  I 
wouldn't  do  it  again.  Why,  it  might  run  a  feller  crazy 
—  such  a  fierce  lookin'  thing  as  we  was  an'  such  a 
groanin'  kind  of  noise." 

One  night  Colinette  hurried  home  from  school,  her 
mind  full  of  the  new  play  she  was  writing.  It  was  diffi- 
cult to  find  any  time  at  all  for  this  work ;  what  with  help- 
ing grandmother  with  the  dishes  and  the  kindling,  doing 
her  evening  school  work,  and  occasionally  attending  a 
shivery  Bat  meeting  —  the  nights  were  getting  too  cold 
for  these  to  occur  often  —  there  was  really  not  a  minute 
for  play  writing.  It  was  Thursday  night,  the  night  Coli- 
nette usually  went  with  her  grandmother  to  prayer  meet- 
ing. She  decided  to  beg  off,  stay  at  home,  skip  the 
algebra,  and  put  in  a  precious  hour  on  the  third  act.  Her 
aunt  and  cousin  would  be  going  to  meeting  so  her  grand- 
mother would  have  company. 


194  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

Steps  sounded  on  the  front  walk  and  Colinette  ran  to 
open  the  door  to  Susan  and  her  mother.  But  her  smile 
faded  as  she  looked  into  Susan's  eyes.  Susan  had  been 
crying,  and  Susan's  mother  had  the  distressed  and  har- 
ried expression  she  often  wore  when  husband  and  boys 
were  troublesome. 

"  I'll  be  ready  in  a  minute,"  called  Mrs.  Gard  from  the 
depths  of  her  bedroom.  "  Come  on  out  into  the  kitchen 
and  set  down.  There's  a  good  fire  here  an'  I  can  talk 
while  I  hook  my  dress.     Are  you  all  ready,  Colinette?  " 

"  I  think,  grandmother,  if  you  don't  mind,  I'll  stay  at 
home  tonight.  I  have  my  algebra  lesson  to  get  and  — 
some  writing  to  do." 

"  Oh,  you  better  come  along  to  meeting.  You  didn't 
go  last  time,  you  remember." 

Colinette  remembered  very  well.  It  had  been  the  night 
of  the  great  triumph  of  the  Kitty  Candle  Unmoving  Pic- 
ture Company  before  Neal  Brackley. 

"  I'm  afraid,  mother,  we've  got  a  couple  of  disobedient 
girls  on  our  hands,"  began  Mrs.  Dunlap  with  a  quaver  in 
her  voice.     "  I  can't  make  'em  out;  I  hope  you  can." 

Mrs.  Gard  came  forth  with  her  black  skirt  around  her 
neck  on  its  way  down  to  its  proper  place. 

"  Why,  Susan,  what  do  you  mean  ?  " 

Young  Susan  began  to  sniff  and  fumble  for  her  hand- 
kerchief. A  crinkle  of  fear  ran  along  Colinette's  nerves, 
but  she  remained  outwardly  calm.  Her  Aunt  Susan  ad- 
dressed her  accusation  entirely  to  her  own  daughter,  but 
in  words  which  included  her  niece  as  well. 

"  Susan  always  used  to  be  willin'  to  tell  her  ma  where 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  195 

she  went  —  always  willin'  and  anxious  to  tell  her  ma. 
She  don't  seem  to  be  so  any  more.  It  seems  she  was 
away  from  home  all  the  time  we  was  gone  to  lodge 
meetin'  last  night,  and  I  s'posed  she  was  over  here  with 
Colinette.  But  it  seems  she  wasn't;  and  she  wasn't  up 
to  Pickenses,  and  she  wasn't  over  to  Klatzes.  Now  where 
was  she?  When  I  ask  her  she  cries  and  won't  say  a 
word.  Her  pa  says  there's  got  to  be  a  stop  put  to  this 
sort  of  business.  He  says  that  hereafter,  she  can't  go 
anywhere  without  some  older  person  goes  along.  He 
lays  all  the  trouble  to  Colinette,  and  he  says  the  girls 
can't  go  out  anywhere  any  more  without  either  you  or  I 
go  with  'em." 

Mrs.  Gard  slipped  her  skirt  down  into  place  and  hooked 
it  deftly.     Then  she  proceeded  to  put  on  her  waist. 

"  Well,  I  don't  s'pose  Colinette  would  object  to  havin' 
you  or  me  go  wherever  she  went  if  we  wanted  to  go, 
would  you,  Colinette  ?  " 

Colinette  stirred  uneasily  and  some  of  the  sheets  of 
paper  upon  which  she  had  been  writing  slid  from  her 
lap  and  scattered  over  the  floor.  Mrs.  Gard  picked  them 
up  and  restored  them  to  their  owner  while  she  awaited 
the  answer  to  her  question. 

"  We  —  I  —  might  go  places  where  it  wouldn't  be  — 
easy  or  —  or  interesting  for  you  or  Aunt  Susan  to  go." 

Everybody  in  the  room  was  startled  at  the  evasion. 

"  Susan,"  said  Mrs.  Dunlap  solemnly,  "  where  was  you 
last  Wednesday  night  ?  " 

Susan  mumbled  the  answer  she  had  given  often  be- 
fore —  the  pre-arranged  answer,  which  she  knew  would 


196  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

have  satisfied  her  mother  and  grandmother,  as  it  always 
had  satisfied  them,  were  it  not  for  Elmer's  activities  in  the 
role  of  detective. 

"  With  Colinette." 

"  And  if  we'd  ask  Colinette  she'd  say  she  was  with 
you,"  went  on  Mrs.  Dunlap  severely.  Here  Mrs.  Gard 
took  a  hand  in  the  trial.  She  was  fully  dressed  now  and 
ready  for  prayer  meeting. 

"  You  say  you  want  to  stay  home  tonight,  Colinette  ? 
What  was  your  object  in  wanting  to  stay  home  alone?  " 

"  I  wanted  to  write,"  answered  Colinette,  greatly  re- 
lieved. 

"  What  you  writin'  ?  " 

"  A  dialogue." 

"  Very  well ;  you  stay  home  an'  write  your  dialogue, 
and  when  we  come  back  from  meetin'  you  and  I  will 
have  a  long  talk  about  this  matter  —  a  long  talk  all  alone 
by  ourselves.  You'll  probably  have  time  after  you  git 
your  dialogue  done  to  think  this  other  matter  over. 
You  will  have  time,  here  all  alone  by  yourself,  to  take 
it  to  the  Lord  in  prayer.  I  guess  that  will  do  you  more 
good  than  it  would  to  go  to  meeting  tonight.  Then 
when  I  come  home  we'll  talk  about  it.  Now  come  folks, 
we  got  to  trot  along  or  we'll  be  late." 

Susan  cast  an  agonized  look  at  her  partner  in  crime 
as  she  followed  her  elders  out  of  doors,  and  Colinette 
managed  to  smile  encouragingly  although  herself  sorely 
bewildered  and  beset. 

Whatever  happened,  there  were  two  sins  which  she 
would  not  commit:  She  would  not  tell  lies  to  her  dear 
grandmother,  and  she  would  not  break  her  promise  of 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  197 

secrecy  to  The  Bats.  How  were  these  obligations  to  be 
brought  into  harmony? 

One  thing  must  be  attended  to,  and  it  had  better  be 
done  tonight,  for  if  her  grandmother  insisted  upon  her 
staying  in,  it  might  be  a  long  time  before  she  dared 
visit  the  clubroom  again.  She  had  left  the  characters 
posed  for  the  first  act  in  the  new  drama.  Narka  LaRick 
in  the  costume  of  a  young  Irishman,  just  entering  the 
low  door;  Constance  Malone,  as  the  old  Irish  mother  of 
the  heroine,  bending  above  the  toy  kettle  hanging  upon 
the  crane  in  just  the  loveliest  lifelikest  little  fireplace  ever 
made  from  blocks,  bagging,  and  dabs  of  paint ;  Rosey,  in 
her  short  red  dress  and  little  black  brogans,  and  in  her 
hands  the  letter  which  was  to  tell  her  mother  that  she  was 
going  to  America.  As  Colinette  very  well  knew,  she 
still  stood  patiently  by  the  dear  little  table  with  the  fatal 
letter  in  her  hands.  None  of  The  Bats  would  molest  the 
tableau,  but  the  always  dreaded  Plummer  raid  might 
occur  during  the  long  interval  before  the  High  Call 
sounded  again,  and  what  would  become  of  the  poor  little 
members  of  the  Kitty  Candle  Company  then?  Colinette 
decided  to  slip  down  and  put  the  little  actors  into  their 
respective  boxes  and  get  them  up  on  the  shelves  where 
they  would  be  less  conspicuous  in  case  of  trouble. 

She  hurried,  for  it  would  be  dreadful  for  the  prayer- 
meeting  folks  to  get  home  and  find  her  out.  As  she 
opened  the  kitchen  door  a  wind  from  the  north  swept 
across  the  garden,  caught  the  shawl  which  she  had  thrown 
over  her  head  more  for  disguise  than  for  warmth,  and 
whirled  it  about  her.  She  shivered.  Winter  was  surely 
on  its  way.     It  would  really  be  uncomfortable  in  the 


198  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

Plummer  storehouse  on  such  a  night.  Perhaps  it  would 
be  better  for  Bats  to  go  to  sleep  until  spring. 

Well,  if  they  must,  why  of  course  they  must;  although 
there  was  the  chance  of  their  never  waking  up  again, 
even  as  Helen  Pickens  had  prophesied.  However,  such 
an  arrangement  would  simplify  the  dreaded  interview 
with  her  grandmother. 

Colinette  thrust  forth  a  hand.  Yes,  there  was  snow  in 
the  air.  This  decided  matters.  There  must  be  no  foot- 
prints on  the  walk  which  led  from  the  sidewalk  to  the 
door  of  the  haunted  hotel.  It  was  well  she  had  started 
out  as  she  did. 

As  Colinette  drew  the  big  door  of  the  Pettingill  House 
shut  behind  her  she  experienced  the  delicious  thrill  of 
adventure.  The  storm  made  such  lovely  eerie  sounds 
about  the  place  both  inside  and  out.  Shutters  thumped 
and  rattled;  chimneys  moaned.  Something  upstairs 
sounded  almost  as  if  a  person  were  shuffling  about  the 
chamber  in  carpet  slippers.  Colinette  wished  heartily 
that  she  did  believe  just  a  little  bit  in  ghosts.  How  dis- 
agreeable it  was  not  to  be  afraid  of  anything!  However, 
she  must  hurry,  do  her  errand  and  get  away,  for  the 
ground  would  soon  be  white. 

She  groped  her  way  through  the  cellars,  located  the 
lamp,  made  sure  of  the  windows  that  no  gleam  should 
steal  forth,  and  placed  it  before  the  velvet  curtains, 
imagining  herself  one  who  knew  nothing  about  the  play 
and  seeing  the  tableau  for  the  first  time.  Then  she 
opened  the  curtains. 

She  could  hardly  believe  her  eyes.  The  Irish  boy,  hero 
of  the  play  and  brave  to  recklessness  —  brave  as  Coli- 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  199 

nette  herself  —  was  discovered  climbing  up  the  throat  of 
the  chimney.  There  was  a  look  of  fear  on  his  little 
wooden  face,  or  so  it  seemed  to  his  owner.  Behind  him 
crowded  Sheelah,  (Rosey)  and  her  mother,  their  faces 
not  visible,  but  their  attitudes  indicative  of  extreme  ter- 
ror. Old  Mrs.  Glassus,  the  rag  doll,  was  the  funniest  of 
all,  for  she  had  fallen  over  a  chair,  and  nothing  was  to 
be  seen  of  her  except  her  heels  waving  in  air. 

Colinette  had  wished  to  be  startled,  and  now  she  was 
startled  quite  thoroughly.  She  glanced  fearfully  about 
the  room,  expecting  to  see  Jeff  Plummer's  face  appear 
from  behind  the  big  easel.  She  took  the  lamp  and  went 
about  peering  into  corners,  but  apparently  everything 
was  as  the  club  had  left  it  at  its  last  meeting. 

None  of  The  Bats  would  do  this  unless  it  was  Rob 
Dunlap,  and  Rob  was  not  in  the  habit  of  coming  to  the 
place  alone.  Rob's  characteristics  did  not  include  reck- 
less bravery  amongst  them. 

There  was  but  one  logical  conclusion  —  very  logical 
indeed  —  and  that  was  that  Jeff  Plummer  had  paid  a 
belated  visit  to  his  long-neglected  storehouse,  and  dis- 
covering its  occupants,  played  this  rather  clever  practical 
joke  upon  them. 

She  examined  the  dolls  carefully.  Not  a  bit  of  harm 
had  been  done  to  costumes,  complexions  or  wigs.  That 
at  least  was  rather  fine  of  Jeff.  One  could  not  have 
blamed  him,  no  matter  what  vengeance  he  had  seen  fit 
to  wreck  on  these  little  trespassers  upon  his  preserves. 
He  had  merely  taken  this  good-natured  way  of  informing 
his  tenants  that  they  were  discovered. 

Colinette  decided  not  to  pack  the  dolls  away,  but  to 


200  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

play  up  to  the  spirit  of  the  jest.  She  armed  Kinney 
Kelley,  the  hero,  with  a  billet  of  wood  and  set  him  in  an 
attitude  of  defense  in  front  of  the  little  green  door  at  the 
back  of  the  stage.  He  looked  very  dangerous  in  this 
pose,  with  his  cropped  yellow  wig  sticking  out  roughly 
from  underneath  his  Irish  hat,  his  knees  bent  ready  for 
conflict,  and  his  shillalah  poised  for  a  blow.  The  old 
woman  held  the  skillet  aloft,  and  Sheelah,  the  leading 
lady,  was  armed  with  a  spoon.  Jeff  Plummer  should 
see  that  The  Bats  could  appreciate  a  harmless  joke.  Mrs. 
Glassus,  being  homemade  and  not  jointed,  glared  stiffly 
from  behind  the  table.  Colinette  then  blew  out  the  lamp 
and  scuttled  away  home  as  fast  as  she  could.  She 
dreaded  the  interview  with  her  grandmother,  but  longed 
for  one  with  Susan  to  get  Susan's  opinion  as  to  who  had 
disarranged  the  Kitty  Candle  Company  so  scandalously. 
But  she  did  not  see  Susan  that  night  at  all,  and  the 
interview  with  her  grandmother  was  so  unsatisfactory 
and  so  sorrowful  that  she  went  to  bed  feeling  that  she 
should  have  almost  been  glad  if  the  mysterious  practical 
joker  had  destroyed  both  the  dolls  and  the  theatre. 

"  I  thought  you  kind  of  liked  gram'ma,"  Mrs.  Gard 
had  said  with  a  tremor  in  her  voice. 

"  Grandmother,  I  love  you  better  than  you  were  ever 
loved  before  by  anyone!  "  cried  Colinette,  and  went  and 
put  her  arms  around  her  grandmother's  neck  and  pressed 
her  cheek  against  her  grandmother's. 

"  But  you  don't  love  me  well  enough  to  answer  my 
questions.  I  says  to  your  Aunt  Susan  on  the  way  down 
tonight,  '  Well,  don't  you  fret  about  them  girls ;  Colinette 
will  tell  me  all  about  what  they  have  been  up  to,  an',' 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  201 

says  I,  '  she  thinks  too  much  of  her  old  granny  to  do 
anything  she'd  be  ashamed  to  tell  her  about.'  But  it 
seems  I  got  to  own  up  beat  after  all." 

Colinette  was  very  pale  and  miserable-looking,  but  she 
showed  no  signs  of  weakening. 

"  Did  you  do  as  I  asked  you  to ;  did  you  pray  over  it  ?  "  1 

"I  —  will  tonight,"  promised  Colinette. 

"  Why,  Colinette !  Here  alone  all  the  evening  and  still 
didn't  even  do  that  much."  Mrs.  Gard  rose  and  put  Coli- 
nette away  from  her  gently.  "  Well,  better  git  to  bed 
now.     It's  late." 

Before  Colinette  got  into  bed  she  prayed  fervently,  but 
rather  hopelessly.  She  did  not  see  how  the  Lord  could 
get  her  out  of  the  tangle  of  intrigue  and  secrecy  in  which 
she  had  wound  herself  unless  she  gave  up  The  Bats  en- 
tirely and  confessed  herself  a  housebreaker.  She  was 
very  unhappy  and,  worse  yet,  knew  that  she  had  made 
her  grandmother  unhappy  also. 

The  next  morning  the  subject  was  not  mentioned  either 
at  the  breakfast  table  or  while  she  and  her  grandmother 
washed  the  dishes.  Her  grandmother  kissed  her  good-by 
as  usual  when  she  started  for  school. 

"  How  did  you  make  out  with  gram'ma?  "  demanded 
Susan  anxiously,  as  they  crossed  the  railroad  on  the  way 
to  school. 

"  Not  very  well,"  owned  Colinette  mournfully. 

"  You  didn't  tell  her,  then?  " 

"Sue!" 

"  Well,  of  course,  I  knew  you  wouldn't.  But  you 
wait  till  pa  gits  hold  of  it;  things  will  begin  to  rustle 
round  our  ears  then,   I  bet.     And  it  all  comes  about 


202  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

through  Elmer's  meddling!  You  look  as  if  you'd  had 
a  fit  of  sickness,  Colinette. 

"  Yes,"  said  Colinette  absently,  and  then  proceeded 
to  tell  Susan  of  her  discovery  in  the  theatre  the  night 
before. 

"  One  of  the  boys,  for  a  joke." 

"  Never ;  Rob  wouldn't  dare  go  spooking  round  in 
that  place  alone;  I'm  sure  he  wouldn't.  And  you  know 
that  Villie  wouldn't  do  a  thing  like  that." 

"  No,  Villie  wouldn't,  but  —  don't  you  suppose  Neal 
Brackley  would  —  just  for  a  good-natured  joke,  you 
know?  It  really  was  awfully  funny."  Colinette  laughed 
at  the  remembrance.  "  There  I  had  them  all  posed  so 
sensibly,  the  old  woman  tending  the  supper  fire,  Sheelah 
looking  so  sweet  and  shy  with  the  letter  in  her  hand, 
Kinney  Kelley  so  grave  and  manly  in  the  door,  and  when 
I  found  them  they  were  all  tumbling  over  each  other  to 
get  up  the  chimney.  Honestly  that  little  Kinney's  face 
was  just  full  of  fear.  I  suppose  it  was  the  way  he  had 
his  head  twisted  over  his  shoulder  that  made  his  expres- 
sion seemed  changed  so.  It  was  really  funny,  Sue;  you 
would  have  laughed  yourself." 

"  You  should  have  put  them  all  away  or  brought  them 
home  with  you.  Oh,  I'm  afraid  we'll  never  see  Rosey 
again! " 

"  The  reason  I  think  Neal  did  it  was  because  they 
were  not  hurt  the  least  bit;  not  in  the  least.  They  were 
just  posed  in  that  funny  way.  I  examined  the  locks  on 
windows  and  doors;  they  had  not  been  touched.  Who- 
ever did  it  got  in  the  same  way  that  we  get  in." 

"  Well,  if  Neal  Brackley  did  it,  I  for  one  think  it  a 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  203 

mighty  poor  joke!"  scolded  Susan.  "We  can  tell  the 
minute  we  step  into  the  schoolroom;  if  he  did  it  he'll 
look  over  at  us  and  grin." 

"  I  hope  it  was  Neal,"  sighed  Colinette.  "  If  it  wasn't, 
why  then  of  course  it  was  Jeff  Plummer." 

"  But  Neal  Brackley  says  Jeff  Plummer  is  too  big  a 
coward  to  range  around  through  the  old  Pettingill 
House." 

"  Neal  Brackley  may  have  underrated  Jeff's  brav- 
ery," said  Colinette.  "  That  tunnel  from  the  Pettingill 
House  cellar  to  the  Plummer  storehouse  is  the  work  of 
boys,  not  of  Jeff  himself,  necessarily,  but  I'll  warrant  you 
Jeff  Plummer  knows  of  the  tunnel." 

"  We'll  just  watch  Mr.  Jeff  Plummer,  too,  then,  and 
I'll  bet  you  before  night  we'll  find  out  who  did  it,"  boasted 
Susan. 

But  in  this  she  was  mistaken.  Neal  Brackley  was  not 
at  school  that  day.  Someone  said  he  was  sick.  And 
Jeff  Plummer  sat  on  the  small  of  his  back,  as  usual, 
with  the  same  blank  countenance  which  he  always  dis- 
played during  study  hours,  utterly  oblivious  to  the  fact 
that  his  every  expression  was  being  noted  by  two  pairs 
of  keen  eyes,  one  pair  black  and  admiring,  the  other 
"  deep  green,  like  the  waters  of  a  lake  under  a  storm," 
and  not  at  all  admiring. 

And  that  night  something  so  serious  happened  to  Coli- 
nette that  she  promptly  forgot  Jeff  Plummer,  Neal  Brack- 
ley,  the  Kittv  Candle  Company,  and  all  that  pertained 
thereunto. 


XVII 

The  threatened  snow  had  not  come  in  any  very  great 
quantities,  and  what  there  was  of  it  had  blown  into  cold 
little  streaks  at  the  edges  of  the  walks,  against  fences, 
and  in  the  ridges  of  Walker's  pasture  and  along  the  run. 
But  the  wind  still  persisted,  and  the  mercury  went  stead- 
ily downward  all  day. 

When  the  three  girls  came  over  the  railroad  embank- 
ment and  the  north  wind  caught  them  squarely,  it  nearly 
swept  them  off  their  feet.  Susan  and  Gusta  squealed 
with  youthful  merriment  and  all  three  broke  into  a  run 
down  the  embankment. 

It  had  been  an  unhappy  day  for  Colinette,  and  wick- 
edly long  as  such  days  are  apt  to  be.  She  could  hardly 
wait  for  the  last  bell  which  would  set  her  free  to  go 
home  to  her  grandmother  and  make  her  peace  with  her, 
at  least  so  far  as  a  naughty  and  disobedient  girl  could 
make  peace.  She  thought  of  a  dozen  little  things  she 
should  do  to  please  her  grandmother  and  win  her  to 
forget  fulness  of  the  one  thing  she  would  not  —  could 
not  —  do. 

Down  the  hill  to  meet  them  carne  Susan's  mother,  the 
shawl  over  her  head  and  her  skirts  flapping  in  the  wind 
until  she  had  the  appearance  of  flying  toward  them.  At 
sight  of  her  aunt  blowing  down  upon  them  this  way 

204 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  205 

Colinette's  heart  sank.  Something  was  wrong;  of  that 
she  was  sure  before  her  aunt  opened  her  mouth. 

u  Colinette,  your  gram 'ma  don't  want  you  to  come  home 
tonight.  You  are  to  go  on  up  to  Aunt  Rinthy's  and  stay 
there." 

Colinette  trembled. 

"  Yes,  Aunt  Susan,"  she  faltered,  "  but  before  I  go  I 
must  speak  to  —  to  her  just  a  minute  — " 

"  No,  you  can't  speak  to  your  grandmother  even  for  a 
minute.  You'll  probably  know  why  tomorrow,  but  to- 
night you  mind  what  your  gram'ma  tells  you  and  go  along 
up  to  Aunt  Rinthy's."     Mrs.  Dunlap  was  visibly  troubled. 

"  Why  don't  you  tell  us  what  is  the  matter,  ma?  "  de- 
manded Susan.  "  Is  gram'ma  mad  at  Colinette,  or  sick, 
or  what  is  the  matter?" 

"  We  don't  exactly  know  what  the  matter  is,  but  we 
do  know  that  gram'ma  has  told  Colinette  to  go  on  up  to 
Aunt  Rinthy's,  and  to  stay  there  tonight  and  until  she 
hears  from  her." 

It  had  come,  then.  Grandmother  was  tired  of  her. 
She  meant  to  send  her  away  for  good  and  had  taken 
this  method  to  soften  the  blow  somewhat.  Tomorrow, 
after  grandmother  had  made  arrangements,  she  would 
come  up  to  the  Pickenses  and  tell  them  what  she  had  de- 
cided upon. 

Oh,  that  dear  little  gray  house  with  the  sweet  pea 
vines,  mere  ghosts  now,  still  clinging  to  the  wire  sup- 
ports across  the  front  of  the  porch,  and  whipping  in  the 
bitter  wind!  And  the  lilac  bush  at  the  east  bedroom 
window ;  that,  too,  was  bending  before  the  blast. 

Colinette  felt  almost  too  weak  to  face  the  wind  clear 


206  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

to  the  Pickens'  farmhouse.  Twice  she  gazed  yearningly- 
back,  hoping  to  see  her  grandmother  at  the  west  parlor 
window.  But  there  was  no  sign  of  her.  Of  course, 
there  would  not  be.  Grandmother  would  not  wish  to 
see  Colinette  wave  and  not  return  the  signal.  She  would 
not  wish  to  make  such  a  sign  of  amity  with  tomorrow's 
separation  in  view. 

Aunt  Rinthy  herself  opened  the  shedroom  door  for 
Colinette. 

"Pretty  cold,  ain't  you?"  she  inquired.  "Come  on 
in." 

No  o'ne  was  in  the  kitchen  except  Helen,  who  was  lay- 
ing the  table  for  supper.  There  were  potatoes  and  par- 
snips and  beef  boiling  on  the  cookstove.  The  smell  of 
them  made  Colinette  feel  ill.  Helen  looked  at  her  pity- 
ingly, Colinette  thought,  and  greeted  her  as  if  they  had 
not  been  in  the  same  schoolroom  all  day  long.  She  went 
on  putting  the  knives  and  forks  beside  the  plates  on  the 
table.     She  hummed  a  little  tune  as  she  worked. 

"  Lay  your  things  in  the  other  room,"  instructed  Aunt 
Rinthy  Pickens.  Colinette  obeyed.  The  chill  of  the 
"  other  room  "  struck  to  her  very  heart.  She  was  weak 
with  cold  and  sorrow.  She  came  back  into  the  kitchen 
and  sank  into  a  chair  by  the  west  window.  In  a  dull 
misery  she  counted  the  plates  on  the  table  —  five  of  them. 
One  for  Mr.  Pickens,  one  for  Mrs.  Pickens,  one  for 
Helen,  one  for  Villie  Klatz  —  one  for  her.  She  went 
over  the  list  two  or  three  times.  And  she  should  have 
to  sit  up  to  the  table  and  take  potatoes  and  parsnips  on 
her  plate  and  pretend  to  eat !  In  loathing  she  turned  her 
gaze  to  the  wind-swept  fields. 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  207 

Ploughed  land,  every  ridge  outlined  with  white.  One, 
two,  three  fences  running  north  and  south  —  one,  two, 
three  fences  —  all  running  north  and  south  —  if  only  she 
could  keep  her  hands  from  trembling !  She  did  not  want 
Helen  and  Aunt  Rinthy  Pickens  to  see  how  she  was  suf- 
fering. Of  course,  they  both  knew  that  she  deserved  to 
suffer,  but,  just  the  same,  she  did  not  want  them  to  see. 
She  wanted  to  go  bravely,  just  as  Marie  Antoinette  had 
gone  bravely,  to  her  doom;  and  Lady  Jane  Gray,  and 
other  brave  ones  all  along  the  world. 

How  the  little  bushes  there  by  the  fence  writhed  and 
bent  and  whipped,  bent  and  whirled  and  straightened  in 
time  to  catch  the  next  blast ! 

"  You'd  better  come  up  nearer  the  fire,"  suggested 
Mrs.  Pickens,  and  Colinette  rose  mechanically  to  obey, 
her  eyes  still  upon  those  writhing  little  bushes  out  by 
the  road  fence.  The  smell  of  the  boiling  beef  grew 
stronger  —  grew  unbearable ;  the  wind  had  entered  the 
kitchen  and  was  swaying  her  even  as  it  swayed  the  little 
bushes,  the  table  began  to  whirl,  the  cookstove  pirouetted 
out  of  its  place  with  a  jauntiness  unbecoming  in  an  article 
of  furniture  of  so  staid  a  nature  — 

Colinette' s  last  conscious  thought  was  one  of  shame 
that  she  could  not  even  emulate  Marie  Antoinette  in 
heroism,  but  instead  was  crinkling  down  under  trouble 
like  any  other  common  creature. 

The  smell  of  boiling  beef  was  still  in  the  air  when  she 
came  to  herself  again,  but  mixed  with  it  were  other  smells, 
noticeably  that  of  camphor.  She  was  conscious,  but  weak 
—  very  weak,  and  so  she  did  not  open  her  eyes  at  once. 
She  heard  Aunt  Rinthy  Pickens  say,  "  I  s'pose  it's  one  of 


208  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

them  rickety  fits,  an'  I  s'pose  she  has  'em  right  along  an' 
Gram'ma  Gard  don't  tell  anybody  about  'em." 

"  Oh,  no,  ma,  she  does  not  have  fits  of  any  kind," 
Helen  declared.  "  She's  just  scared  for  fear  something's 
the  matter  with  her  gram'ma." 

"  Thought  you  said  she  never  got  scared  at  anything," 
retorted  a  masculine  voice.  Mr.  Pickens  had  evidently 
come  in  during  Colinette"s  unconsciousness. 

He  took  up  one  of  her  hands.  "  Cold  as  ice,"  he  re- 
ported. "  Guess  she's  goin'  to  croak.  I'll  go  out  and 
send  Villie  for  the  doctor." 

"  Villie  ain't  through  milkin'  yet,"  objected  the  ever 
thrifty  Mrs.  Pickens.  "  I  guess  she'll  come  out  of  it  all 
right.  If  it's  some  kind  of  a  fit  they  always  come  out 
of  'em,  and  if  it's  just  a  faint,  why  of  course  she'll  come 
out." 

"  Looks  to  me  as  if  she  was  a  goner,"  persisted  Pickens. 
"If  she  should  happen  to  croak  it'd  be  a  good  thing  for 
Dunlap's  Susan;  she'd  git  what  there  is  of  Gram'ma 
Gard's  property,  while  if  she  don't — "  A  smothering 
rag  saturated  with  camphor  was  clapped  over  Colinette's 
nose.     She  gasped  and  struggled  faintly. 

"  She's  comin'  out  all  right,"  announced  Mrs.  Pickens. 
"  What  did  you  make  out  about  the  tramp?  " 

"  They  got  him  an'  took  him  to  the  pesthouse,  an' 
they've  quarantined  Gram'ma  Gard's  house.  She's  got 
to  stay  to  home  for  fourteen  days,  an'  then,  if  she  comes 
down  with  it  —  an'  she  probably  will  —  why,  she'll  have 
a  nice  time  of  it.  I  don't  know  of  anybody  in  this  town 
who  would  hire  out  to  nurse  a  smallpox  patient.  She'll 
have  to  stick  it  out  alone.     If  the  tramp's  out  by  the 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  209 

time  she  comes  down  I  s'pose  Doc.  Merton  will  make 
her  go  to  the  pesthouse.  The  tramp'll  probably  be  out 
by  the  time  she  comes  down.  I  guess  it'll  learn  her  not 
to  be  so  brash  to  take  in  tramps  just  because  they  shiver 
and  complain  of  the  cold." 

"  Elmer  says  she  told  Susan  Dunlap  that  whatever 
happens,  she  wants  John's  girl  kept  strictly  away  from 
there;  says  she  don't  want  Colinette's  beautiful  face  all 
spoiled  with  smallpox  pits."  Aunt  Rinthy's  tone  ex- 
pressed sarcasm. 

"  Pooh !  "  snorted  Waldo  Pickens. 

Colinette  opened  her  eyes.  She  smiled  up  at  Mrs. 
Pickens.  In  her  heart  was  a  great  and  heavenly  joy. 
She  closed  her  eyes  again  while  she  thanked  heaven  de- 
voutly —  fervently.  How  little  they  knew  —  how  little 
they  knew  what  joy  they  had  brought  to  her  by  their 
gossip  above  her  head!  Why,  they  had  brought  back 
to  her  the  love  of  life;  the  zest  of  it,  all  the  keen  desire 
to  do  and  to  dare.  She  sat  up  and  wheeled  her  feet  off 
of  the  lounge. 

"  Do  you  feel  better  ? "  inquired  Mrs.  Pickens  and 
Helen  in  a  breath. 

"  Oh,  I'm  all  right  now,  thank  you.     Just  one  of  my 

—  er  —  rickets.  I  have  them  all  the  time.  And  when 
I  come  out  of  them  I  often  bite  — "  Mrs.  Pickens  and 
her  husband  drew  back  instinctively.  Colinette  laughed 
weakly  and  Helen  declared,  "  It  isn't  so ;  she's  just  fool- 
ing.    I  asked  gram'ma  Gard  and  she  said  she  never  had 

—  had  the  rickets,  or  anything  like  that." 

"  You  needn't  think  Gram'ma  Gard  would  own  to  it 
if  she  did,"  said  Waldo  Pickens, 


210  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

"  No,  indeed,"  said  Colinette,  "  Grandmother  Gard  is 
a  dreadful  liar — " 

"  Oh,  oh !  "  cried  out  Helen  and  her  mother  in  chorus. 
Colinette  laughed  again  and  shook  her  head  as  if  the  joke 
were  almost  more  than  she  could  bear.  She  got  upon 
her  feet. 

"  Will  you  please  bring  me  my  coat  out  of  the  parlor, 
Helen?  I  feel  cold."  This  was  not  true.  The  warm 
pulse  of  life  and  the  love  of  life  was  throbbing  in  her 
veins. 

"Here;  wrap  up  in  this."  Aunt  Rinthy  threw  her 
own  soft  gray  shawl  about  Colinette. 

"  Thank  you.  You  are  good,  but  my  handkerchief  is 
in  my  coat  pocket." 

Helen  brought  the  coat  and  Colinette  took  it,  working 
toward  the  door  as  she  did  so.  Villie  Klatz  came  in  with 
the  milking  pails  at  that  moment,  creating  a  diversion. 
Colinette  slipped  into  the  coat  and  out  of  the  door  in  a 
flash. 

Someone  called  loudly  and  authoritatively  after  her 
from  the  open  door,  but  she  did  not  heed.  She  felt  light 
—  light  —  like  a  cloud,  or  a  feather.  The  wind  revived 
her  wonderfully  —  the  wind,  and  her  new-found  hope, 
and  she  raced  down  the  hill,  blown  in  the  direction  of 
her  grandmother's  house.  The  sun  was  down,  but  the 
cold  glory  of  it  still  spread  over  the  bitter  fields.  It 
flashed  from  the  western  window  of  the  little  gray  house, 
lighting  it  up  as  from  a  great  fire  within. 

If  Mrs.  Gard  had  seen  her  coming  thus,  like  a  feather 
in  the  wind,  she  would  have  locked  the  door  against  her 
in  her  anxiety  to  keep  her  safe  from  the  danger  which 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  211 

threatened  herself.  But  Mrs.  Gard  was  getting  her  own 
lone  supper,  and  the  first  she  knew  somebody's  arms  were 
round  her  neck,  and  somebody  was  sobbing  out  love  and 
fealty  upon  her  breast. 

"  Do  you  think  I'd  stay  up  there,  and  you  down  here 
alone  and  sick  and  —  why,  grandmother,  how  could  you 
do  it !  —  send  me  off  up  to  that  horrid  place  and  nearly 
kill  me !  They'll  be  coming  after  me,  but  don't  let  them 
get  me  —  oh,  don't,  grandmother,  because  it  won't  do 
any  good;  I'll  run  away  again  and  again  and  come  back 
to  you! 

"  What  if  I  do  get  the  smallpox?  We'll  have  it  here 
in  this  little  house  together,  and  I'll  take  care  of  you 
and  you'll  take  care  of  me,  and  we'll  have  a  good  time 
—  yes,  I  hear  them  coming  —  Oh,  don't  let  them  get  me 
back!" 

In  her  excitement  and  confusion,  grandmother  prom- 
ised. 

She  need  not  have  done  so.  It  was  only  Villie  Klatz 
at  the  door  to  bear  a  Pickens  message  to  the  effect  that 
Colinette,  having  entered  the  stricken  house  and  laid  her- 
self liable  to  the  contagion,  would  not  be  welcomed  again 
at  their  home.     They  didn't  want  to  get  it. 

Villie  would  have  entered,  but  Mrs.  Gard  drove  him 
away. 

"  I'll  come  over  an'  put  the  coal  an'  vood  on  the  back 
step  every  night  yet,"  he  promised  recklessly. 

"  Not  unless  we  are  both  sick  at  once,  Villie,"  Coli- 
nette called  after  him.  "The  Pickenses  would  catch  — 
if  nothing  else  —  the  rickets,  if  you  came  around  this 
house.     It  might  lose  you  your  place.     If  we  need  help 


212  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

I'll  give  you  a  signal  of  some  sort.  And  now,  grand- 
mother, let's  have  something  to  eat  before  I  drop  again, 
for  I  am  as  weak  as  a  kitten.  Do  you  know  what  I  did 
up  at  Pickenses?     Why,  I  fainted  away." 

"You  poor  little  thing!" 

"  And  when  I  came  to,  Aunt  Rinthy  was  wondering  if 
I  wasn't  in  a  fit,  and  whether  I  didn't  have  them  often 
and  you  kept  it  a  secret." 

Mrs.  Gard  opened  her  mouth  to  say  something,  then 
closed  it  again  suddenly. 

"  I'll  have  to  go  and  say  my  prayers,  I  guess,  before 
we  talk  about  this  any  more." 

"  Oh,  but  not  before  supper,  I  hope,  grandmother;  I'm 
starving.  What  were  you  intending  to  have  for  tea  — 
oh,  was  that  all  ?  Why,  you  would  have  starved  to  death 
if  I  hadn't  run  home.  Suppose  I  fry  an  egg  apiece,  and 
let's  have  a  cup  of  jelly,  just  to  celebrate;  shall  we?  You 
don't  know  how  gone  I  am.  The  Pickenses  noticed  it  — 
how  gone  I  was  when  I  started  for  home  tonight." 

"  Mercy,  child,  I  should  think  we  could  have  an  egg 
apiece,  an'  some  jelly,  an'  we'll  have  some  of  them  cookies 
that's  down  cellar  in  the  jar.  An'  bring  up  some  plum 
preserves.  I've  got  a  can  of  dried  beef  here  in  the  pantry ; 
I'll  open  that  an'  make  some  nice  butter  gravy  on  it.  We 
may  both  die  of  the  smallpox,  but'we  ain't  goin'  to  starve 
to  death  before  we  do." 

"  But  you  were  planning  to  have  just  that  crust  of 
bread  and  some  cold  potato  for  your  supper,  grand- 
mother." 

"To  tell  the  truth,  Colinette,  I  was  sort  of  down  in 
my  mind.     Not  so  much  about  myself  as  about  you. 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  213 

You  see,  I  wanted  Dunlap's  folks  to  take  you  in  over 
there,  and  Susan  wanted  you  to  come.  But  Luther  set 
his  foot  right  down  that  you  should  not  come  there.  He 
says  —  an'  he's  got  more  or  less  reason  for  it,  too, 
Colinette,  we  mustn't  forgit  that  —  he  says  he  don't  like 
your  influence  over  Susan.  He  says  Susan  has  always 
been  such  an  obedient  girl  till  —  well,  till  you  come,  and 
now  he  says  she's  gittin'  awful  headset." 

"  Yes,  grandmother,"  owned  Colinette  soberly. 

"  He  says  she'll  do  things  you  tell  her  to  do,  an'  go 
places  you  coax  her  to  go,  an'  no  matter  whether  he  or 
her  mother  want  her  to  go  or  not,  she  goes.  '  Just  let 
John's  girl  wiggle  her  little  finger,'  says  Luther,  '  an'  off 
goes  Susan  like  a  shot.'  And  says  he,  '  Rob's  gittin' 
about  as  bad  as  Susan  is  about  tagging  around  after 
John's  girl.'  And  says  Luther,  '  the  Klatz  boy  an'  girl 
are  right  at  her  beck  an'  call,  too.'  Says  he,  '  I  found 
out  that  to  be  the  case  through  Elmer.'  Says  Luther, 
'  Elmer  seems  to  be  the  only  one  of  the  bunch  who  has 
got  mind  enough  of  his  own  to  run  his  own  gait.'  " 

"  Well,  they  won't  be  apt  to  run  after  me  very  much 
for  the  next  two  or  three  weeks  anyway,"  smiled  Coli- 
nette, "  and  maybe  by  that  time  they'll  all  get  over  it. 
And,  please,  grandmother,  so  long  as  it  makes  us  both 
so  unhappy,  let's  not  talk  about  it.  Let's  just  try  to 
have  a  real  good  time  while  we  are  having  the  small- 
pox." 

Mrs.  Gard  did  not  promise  in  so  many  words,  but  the 
subject  of  Colinette's  disobedience  was  not  mentioned 
during  the  entire  time  of  the  quarantine. 

The  day  after  the  flight  from  the  Pickenses  the  doctor 


214  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

came  and  vaccinated  them  both,  and  then  followed  a  quiet 
but  happy  week,  broken  only  by  Susan's  bulletins  of  news 
from  school,  tucked  under  the  front  walk  every  night 
after  dark.  A  number  of  pupils  were  at  home  sick  with 
the  grip.  Among  those,  Neal  Brackley,  somewhat  recon- 
ciled by  the  fact  that  his  father  was  making  a  flying  visit 
home.  The  preparations  for  the  big  entertainment  to  be 
given  for  the  benefit  of  the  school  library  were  held  up 
indefinitely  because  Gertie  Calkins  was  a  sufferer  also. 
The  tramp  who  had  caused  all  the  trouble  was  getting 
on  as  well  as  could  be  expected  out  at  the  pesthouse  all 
by  himself.  There  was  good  skating  now  on  the  mill- 
pond,  where  one  of  the  Closkey  youngones  had  fallen 
and  broken  his  wrist.  If  Colinette  wanted  anything  she 
was  to  print  it  big  and  stick  it  in  the  front  window  and 
Susan  would  try  to  get  it,  if  it  were  anything  in  reason. 

During  the  latter  part  of  the  first  week  that  Colinette 
and  her  grandmother  remained  prisoners,  as  soon  as  the 
weather  had  moderated  sufficiently  the  snow  set  in.  For 
three  days  the  storm  raged  and  Colinette  was  wild  to 
get  out.  She  was  obliged  to  content  herself  with  draw- 
ing a  picture  of  the  Pickens's  hen-house  and  barnyard 
under  drifting  snow.  Mrs.  Gard  thought  it  wonderful, 
the  way  Colinette  brought  out  the  movement  of  the  snow, 
the  misty  atmosphere,  the  dim  trees  seen  through  the 
storm,  the  long  roof  line  of  the  hen-house  from  which 
the  snow  blew  in  a  straight  line ;  but  she  could  not  under- 
stand why  the  back  of  the  Pickens's  place  had  been  chosen 
upon  which  to  expend  such  art. 

Colinette  could  not  have  told  herself.  She  only  knew 
that  the  low  hen-house  with  its  row  of  little  dark  win- 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  215 

dows,  the  stable  with  its  shanty  roof  and  the  gable  of 
the  barn  showing  above  it,  all  dimly  seen  through  the 
flying  snow,  were  more  interesting  than  the  front  of  the 
Pickens  house  could  have  been. 

After  the  two  of  them  had  finished  the  mending,  and 
tried  out  a  number  of  new  cooking  recipes,  Colinette  sug- 
gested that  she  read  all  the  books  in  the  house  aloud  while 
her  grandmother  finished  a  bed  quilt  of  intricate  pattern, 
began  some  years  before  and  laid  away  for  want  of  time 
to  work  upon  it.  Grandmother  agreed,  and  Colinette 
started  in.  It  took  a  disappointingly  short  time,  grand- 
mother's shelf  of  books  not  even  being  the  regulation  five 
feet  in  length  as  recommended  by  Professor  Eliott. 

They  began  with  three  vivid-colored  official  volumes 
which  had  comprised  the  entire  library  of  grandmother's 
husband.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  they  had  never  been  read 
before,  and  even  safer  to  presume  that  they  would  never 
be  read  again,  unless  they  passed  into  the  possession  of 
a  different  family.  A  grateful  change  was  a  bound  num- 
ber of  The  Ladies'  Repository,  containing  steel  engrav- 
ings of  landscapes,  ladies  in  voluminous  crinoline,  and 
reverend  clergymen  in  side  whiskers.  The  sketches  of 
the  lives  and  labors  of  the  last  mentioned  would  have 
been  of  more  interest  to  old  Mrs.  Kize  than  to  either 
Colinette  or  her  grandmother.  Still  more  interesting  was 
a  bound  number  of  Petersen's  Magazine  for  1871,  con- 
taining a  serial  story  by  Mrs.  Ann  S.  Stevens,  music  by 
Claribel,  and  patterns  for  felt  penwipers  and  embroidered 
edgings.  There  was  a  book  of  sketches  by  T.  S.  Arthur, 
Speeches  in  Congress  by  J.  R.  Giddings,  and  "  Wesley's 
Notes  Upon  the  New  Testament  " —  all  of  equal  interest 


216  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

to  Colinette.  She  tried  to  be  fair  in  the  reading  —  it 
being  her  own  suggestion  to  take  the  collection  entire  — 
but  grandmother  acknowledged  that  it  was  surprising 
how  soon  a  body  could  get  through  a  great  big  book  if 
one  kept  right  at  it.  She  was  not  alive  to  the  art  of 
skipping  a  half  page  at  a  time  and  hiding  the  gaps. 

Colinette  was  grinding  along  on  page  509  of  the  Gid- 
dings  Speeches  one  afternoon,  turning,  now  and  then,  a 
wistful  eye  down  snowy  Brown  Street  to  catch  the  first 
glimpse  of  Villie  Klatz  on  his  way  from  school.  He  al- 
ways waved  an  encouraging  hand  and  in  a  few  moments 
the  girls  would  come  in  sight,  with  wind-blown  skirts 
and  wraps,  stamping  gaily  up  the  hill,  the  snow  squeaking 
under  their  heels.  Gusta  and  Helen  would  hurry  out  of 
sight,  both  having  a  great  horror  of  contagion,  but  Susan, 
although  she  had  been  forbidden  to  cross  the  road,  would 
stand  for  a  minute  or  two  telegraphing  such  news  as 
could  be  made  intelligible  by  signs. 

"  '  But  it  is  said  that  the  Democratic  party  if  defeated 
again  by  the  anti-slavery  party  as  they  were  in  1848  will 
disband — '"  read  Colinette,  then  jumped,  for  someone 
had  thrown  a  shower  of  snow  against  the  window.  Neal 
Brackley  was  grinning  up  at  her  from  the  walk.  He 
was  already  halfway  to  the  porch.  He  carried  a  long, 
mysterious-looking  package. 

"May  I  come  in?"  he  asked,  and  Colinette  shook  a 
vigorous  head. 

"  You  haven't  got  it  yet,  have  you?  " 

"  No,  but  you  can't  come  in." 

"  Nice  way  to  treat  a  chap  the  first  time  he  calls." 

Colinette  smiled  at  him,  waving  a  hand  over  his  head 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  217 

at  Susan,  who  was  signaling  from  her  side  of  the  road. 

Neal  scribbled  something  on  a  paper  and  tucked  it 
under  the  string  around  the  long  package  which  he  car- 
ried, put  the  package  on  the  porch  with  the  shouted  mes- 
sage "  For  you,"  and  ran  away  down  the  hill,  waving 
back  at  Colinette  as  long  as  she  could  see  him. 

The  message  scribbled  on  the  slip  of  paper  was  to  ex- 
plain that  the  canvas  was  cut  in  the  proper  shape  and 
sizes  for  the  new  set  of  scenery  for  the  Kitty  Candle 
Company's  new  play;  that  the  four  smaller  pieces  were 
merely  for  practice  work. 

In  this  box  also  were  fifteen  lovely  tubes  of  oil  paints, 
all  new  and  shiny,  a  complete  set  of  brushes,  bottle  of 
dryer,  "  turps,"  palette-knife,  and  more  fascinating  than 
all,  a  curly-maple  palette,  smooth  as  satin  and  hard  as 
bone. 

Colinette  did  not  exclaim  or  cry  out  in  her  joy  as  her 
Cousin  Susan  would  have  done.  She  stood  quiet,  spell- 
bound, a  little  pale,  and  when  she  raised  her  eyes  to  her 
grandmother's  face  they  were  as  Neal  Brackley  had  de- 
scribed them,  "  so  very  dark  in  their  greenness  that  they 
were  like  the  lake  under  a  storm." 

"  Grandmother,"  breathed  Colinette,  "  do  you  mind  if 
we  leave  the  Giddings  book  of  Speeches  without  know- 
ing how  it  comes  out  ?  I  —  I'm  going  to  be  awfully 
busy  from  now  on." 

Eventually  they  decided  that  Mrs.  Gard  was  to  finish 
the  Speeches  while  Colinette  painted. 

Mrs.  Gard  suggested  that  Colinette  copy  her  father's 
photograph  on  the  large  piece  of  canvas,  a  request  which 
Colinette  gently  but  firmly  refused  to  grant,  knowing  as 


218  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

she  did  that  this  large  piece  was  designed  for  the  back 
drop  of  the  second  act  of  the  new  play,  and  that  it  must 
show  forth  a  long,  lonely  road  winding  away  over  barren 
hills  under  a  lowering  sky.  Her  mind  was  busy  with 
different  objects  to  introduce  to  make  the  road  more 
lonely,  more  far-reaching  and  hopeless;  a  clump  of 
stunted  trees  in  the  middle  distance,  a  bog  to  the  right, 
a  stone  wall  to  the  left.  For  it  was  up  that  long  road 
that  poor  old  Molly  O'Driscoll  was  to  travel,  carrying 
her  personal  effects  in  a  small  red  bundle. 

The  remembrance  of  it  all  made  Colinette  long  to  see 
the  Kitty  Candle  Company  once  more,  and  making  the 
excuse  to  her  grandmother  that  she  must  have  a  mouthful 
of  fresh  air,  she  said  that  after  dark  she  meant  to  take  a 
run  down  Brown  Street  as  far  as  the  railroad  and  back, 
Uncle  Luther  or  no  Uncle  Luther. 

"If  he  meets  me  coming  or  going  he'll  just  have  to 
hold  his  breath  till  I  run  by,"  she  said. 

She  did  not  meet  her  uncle  nor  anyone  else  on  her 
way  to  the  Pettingill  House.  The  snow  lay  white  under 
a  cold  white  moon.  It  crisped  pleasantly  under  foot. 
She  was  thinking  how  best  to  disguise  the  footprints  she 
must  make  in  it  on  the  short  walk  from  the  side  street 
to  the  old  house,  the  key  to  which  she  held  ready  for 
instant  use  when  she  should  arrive. 

When  she  came  opposite  the  door  she  saw  plainly  by 
the  light  of  .the  moon  tracks  in  the  snow  leading  up  to  the 
building.  She  stooped  to  examine  them.  They  were 
large  for  Neal's  and  small  for  Villie  Klatz's.  And  the 
queer  feature  was  that  there  were  no  returning  footprints. 
The  man  then,  whoever  he  was,  must  still  be  within. 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  219 

Instead  of  the  proper  fear  and  caution  which  a  young 
girl  should  have  felt  at  these  danger  signals,  Colinette's 
perverse  spirit  sprang  to  meet  adventure.  She  did  use 
caution  in  turning  the  key  noiselessly  in  the  door.  Still 
cautiously  but  determinedly  she  followed  the  old  route, 
expecting  every  moment  to  stumble  over  something  — 
something  which  did  not  belong  in  that  place,  for  she 
remembered  with  shuddering  that  there  were  no  foot- 
prints pointing  streetward. 

Her  shock  met  her  after  she  had  reached  the  Plummer 
store-house. 


XVIII 

Once  more  Kinney  Kelley  was  showing  the  white 
feather  —  leading  the  way  incontinently  up  the  chimney, 
head  over  shoulder,  arms  outstretched  as  in  flight,  while 
behind  him  crowded  Molly  O'Driscoll,  Rosey,  and  Kitty 
Candle,  with  old  Mrs.  Glassus,  as  usual,  lying  stiffly 
across  a  chair,  utter  helplessness  in  every  line  of  her 
jointless  figure. 

Colinette  hastily  swept  the  little  characters  into  their 
boxes,  put  out  the  light  and  scuttled  for  home.  Matters 
in  the  storehouse  were  too  perplexing  for  her  to  solve 
in  haste.     She  must  have  time  to  think  it  over  alone. 

That  night  Mrs.  Gard  was  quite  ill,  and  the  next  morn- 
ing Colinette  was  herself  far  from  well.  They  braced 
themselves  for  the  worst,  which  was,  after  all,  only  the 
vaccine  working. 

The  remainder  of  the  quarantine  time  passed  busily 
and  gaily,  Mrs.  Gard's  interest  and  delight  in  the  big  pic- 
ture being  only  second  to  that  of  the  artist  herself.  The 
two  side  pieces  were  not  so  satisfying.  Viewing  them  as 
works  of  art  and  not  as  scenery,  Mrs.  Gard  declared 
them  "  pretty  dauby,  with  not  enough  in  'em." 

To  distract  her  attention  from  the  emptiness  of  the 
side  scenes,  Colinette  attempted  to  paint  her  grand- 
mother's portrait  on  one  of  the  smaller  pieces  of  canvas. 
She  posed  her  subject  in  front  of  the  whatnot,  the  fam- 

220 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  221 

ily  album  in  her  hand  open  at  John's  photograph.  Al- 
though seen  upside  down,  any  one  could  recognize  it. 

"  And  will  you  look  at  me!  "  cried  Mrs.  Gard  in  fatu- 
ous delight,  "  settin'  there  as  natural  as  life !  And  the 
colors  in  that  tablecloth,  an'  the  pattern  in  the  window- 
curtains  just  showin'  up  wonderful.  But  you've  kinder 
left  out  this  other  eye  of  mine  altogether,  ain't  you?  " 

Colinette  explained  that  as  she  sat  facing  her  grand- 
mother, with  the  light  coming  from  the  back  and  from 
the  right  side,  she  saw  only  shadow  on  that  side  of  her 
grandmother's  face,  and  therefore  she  must  not  paint  in 
features  which  she  did  not  see. 

"  And  this  eye's  got  a  cateract,  or  something,  in  it.  I 
ain't  got  that,  I  hope.  I  mean  this  here  three-cornered 
white  splash  in  my  eye." 

Colinette  tried  to  illustrate  with  a  brown  pitcher  — 
tried  to  make  her  grandmother  see  the  square  of  white 
light  on  the  rounding  body.  But  in  this  she  failed ;  Mrs. 
Gard  could  not  be  made  to  see  the  little  distorted  window 
on  the  side  of  the  brown  jug. 

"If  I  were  to  paint  the  pitcher  I  would  paint  in  a 
little  crooked  window  right  here  on  the  side,"  explained 
Colinette. 

"  I  don't  see  why,"  objected  Mrs.  Gard,  "  they  ain't 
no  window  in  the  side  of  that  pitcher,  so  why  should 
you  paint  one  there?  " 

"  But  as  I  see  it,  there  is  a  little  square  window  in 
the  side  of  the  pitcher,"  persisted  Colinette.  "  And 
there  is  a  brown  shadow  on  the  table  cast  there  by  the 
brown  jug.  And  if  there  were  roses  or  daffodils  in  the 
pitcher  there  would  be  a  yellow  or  a  pink  shadow  too." 


222  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

"  Well,  you  wait  and  see  what  Aunt  Rinthy  Pickens 
will  say  when  she  sees  this  picture.  She'll  say,  '  Well, 
Gram'ma  Gard,  you're  a  goin'  blind,  ain't  yeh?  In  this 
picture  you've  got  a  cataract.'  She  can't  find  any  fault 
with  the  whatnot,  though;  ain't  it  just  as  lifelike  as  it 
can  be?  I'd  bring  it  out  plainer  though,  Colinette;  it's  so 
dim  the  way  you've  got  it.     Paint  'er  in  strong." 

"No,  grandmother;  if  I  painted  it  in  any  stronger  it 
would  look  as  if  it  rested  right  on  your  back  instead  of 
being  tucked  in  behind  you." 

"  Well,  it  certainly  is  wonderful,"  Mrs.  Gard  admitted. 
"  Wherever  did  you  learn  to  do  such  wonderful 
things  ?  " 

Colinette  threw  down  her  brush  and  rose  with  a  sigh. 

"  I  never  have  learned,  grandmother,  and  I  never  shall 
learn,  I  suppose.  A  real  artist  would  laugh  himself  to 
death  at  these  pictures ;  they  are  just  daubs  —  mere  daubs. 
But  I  believe  I  could  learn  if  I  had  the  chance.  I  love 
it!  I  would  like  to  paint  a  beautiful  woman  in  a  green 
clinging  dress  —  a  dress  so  thin  that  the  cool  creamy 
color  of  her  arms  shows  through  the  sleeves  of  her  dress. 
She  would  sit  in  a  dull-colored  chair,  and  the  reflections 
of  the  chair  and  of  her  dress  would  show  on  the  polished 
floor.  She  would  have  black,  black  hair,  like  Susan's, 
and  there  would  be  blue-gray  shadows  in  it  —  haven't  you 
ever  noticed  blue-gray  shadows  in  Susan's  hair?" 

"  I've  noticed  dust  on  it  sometimes  when  she's  been 
a-sweeping  carpets." 

Colinette  sighed  and  changed  the  subject  of  conversa- 
tion. Her  grandmother  could  not  see  the  little  window 
in  the  pitcher's  side,  nor  the  blue-gray  shadows  in  Susan's 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  223 

hair  and  no  one  would  ever  be  able  to  make  her  see  them. 
And  yet  they  were  so  apparent  to  the  eyes  of  her  grand- 
daughter —  they,  and  the  purple  shadows  on  a  field  of 
snow,  and  the  grays  —  the  ravishing  grays  in  the  back- 
ground of  a  snow  storm,  and  the  seven  distinct  shades  in 
the  cover  of  an  old  book  bound  in  brown  leather.  Grand- 
mother Gard,  Aunt  Rinthy  Pickens  —  even  Susan,  saw 
but  one  brown  on  the  book  cover,  one  white  in  the  field. 

Well,  everybody  to  his  taste;  Susan  could  make  lovely 
things  with  needle,  thread  and  scissors,  and  grandmother 
could  make  bread  and  cake  better  than  anyone  else  on 
earth.  And  more  than  that,  grandmother  could  make  a 
warm  place  in  her  heart  for  those  she  loved.  She  could 
pray  to  God  to  forgive  her  enemies  and  those  which 
despite  fully  used  her  —  she  could  pray  for  them  and  really 
mean  it. 

The  little  note  which  Neal  Brackley  had  tucked  under 
the  twine  which  bound  the  package  of  artist's  materials 
contained  two  mysterious  lines  without  beginning  or  end : 

"  As  soon  as  you  get  out,  give  the  high  call.  News 
about  clubroom." 

It  was  after  the  Christmas  vacation  before  Colinette 
went  back  to  school,  and  on  that  very  day  she  gave  the 
High  Call.  That  night  the  swarm  gathered  and  not  one 
member  was  missing.  It  was  of  necessity  a  short  meet- 
ing which,  because  of  Neal  Brackley's  news,  ended  in 
something  resembling  an  Indian  powwow.  At  this  meet- 
ing two  new  names  were  proposed  for  membership.  The 
first  of  the  two  was  so  overpowering,  so  weighty,  that 
the  other,  presented  by  the  Green-eyed  One  herself,  slipped 
by  without  any  questions  being  asked.     This  last  was 


224  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

the  name  of  S.  Watson.  After  the  meeting  broke  up 
Colinette  did  not  stop  even  to  say  good  night  to  Susan, 
but  ran  home  as  fast  as  she  could. 

Mrs.  Gard  was  setting  the  pancakes  for  breakfast  when 
Colinette  came  dancing  into  the  kitchen. 

"  Well,"  said  Mrs.  Gard,  flop-flopping  away  at  the 
pancake  batter,  "  what's  your  Aunt  Susan  up  to  tonight?  " 

"  I  don't  know,  grandmother;  I  haven't  even  been  to 
Aunt  Susan's  house  at  all;  I've  been  away  somewhere 
else." 

A  look  of  apprehension  swept  across  her  grandmother's 
face.  She  had  hoped  this  ghost  of  secrecy  which  had 
haunted  the  neighborhood  had  been  laid  for  good  by  the 
smallpox  scare. 

"  But  I've  something  lovely  to  tell  you,  grandmother 
—  just  lovely!  I  can  tell  everything  now  —  just  every- 
thing; and  I  shall  promise  not  to  have  any  more  secrets 
which  I  can't  tell  you.  Come  into  the  parlor  while  I 
tell  you." 

Ever  since  the  quarantine  had  begun  the  Gards  had 
used  the  parlor  with  what  Aunt  Rinthy  Pickens  had  con- 
sidered wasteful,  prodigality. 

The  interview  in  the  parlor  was  long  and  earnest, 
broken  repeatedly  with  exclamations  of  disapproval,  won- 
derment, and  deep  surprise  on  the  part  of  Mrs.  Gard. 
Toward  the  end  she  protested  loudly  against  some  meas- 
ure which  was  being  urged  upon  her  by  her  grand- 
daughter. But  the  dullest  of  listeners  might  have  dis- 
cerned a  weakening  in  the  tone  of  her  protestations  and 
have  judged,  correctly,  that  the  girl  was  winning  her 
point. 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  225 

"  I  can't  see  what  moves  you  to  do  such  things,"  de- 
clared Mrs.  Gard,  when  the  interview  was  at  an  end  and 
she  had  taken  up  the  lamp  to  go  back  to  the  kitchen. 

"  It  is  very  queer,"  owned  Colinette,  but  rather  blithely. 
She  could  afford  to  be  blithe  now  that  she  had  won  her 
argument  so  completely.  "  Yes,  it's  funny.  I  seem  to 
be  a  sort  of  —  of  natural  born  sneak.  It  is  such  hard 
work  for  me  to  be  honest." 

"  It  do  seem  queer,"  reiterated  Mrs.  Gard  with  more 
earnestness  than  elegance,  "  your  pa  was  never  a  bit  that 
way.  He  was  so  honest  —  why,  sometimes  I  used  to 
think  folks  took  advantage  of  John  just  on  account  of 
his  honesty." 

"  Yes,"  murmured  Colinette  in  a  happy  absence  of 
mind,  "  you  can  be  too  honest  for  your  own  good  some- 
times." 

But  Mrs.  Gard  would  not  allow  this  to  stand. 

"  No,  that  thought  is  one  of  the  stumbling-blocks  that 
Satan  puts  in  our  path,"  she  said.  "  That's  one  of  the 
ways  he  takes  to  get  us  to  slip  off  the  step  of  truth  an' 
down  one  notch  onto  the  steps  of  prevarication." 

"  Maybe  it  is,"  owned  Colinette  hastily  in  order  to 
divert  her  grandmother's  thoughts  from  serious  matters, 
and  presently  they  were  undressing  together  by  the  kitchen 
stove  and  laughing  like  two  girls. 

The  new  members  of  the  Bat  Club  were  not  initiated 
on  the  same  night.  Neal  Brackley's  candidate  was  ad- 
mitted first  and  suffered  all  the  horrors  of  the  initiation 
rites  which  he  himself  had  endured  with  a  few  more 
added  for  good  measure.  It  was  the  biggest  lark  the 
club  had  ever  enjoyed  up  to  that  time.     In  fact,  it  was 


226  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

the  cause  of  so  much  illy-concealed  laughter,  so  many 
innuendoes  and  broken  sentences  among  the  members  of 
the  organization  at  school  the  next  day  that  the  attention 
of  the  unfortunates  who  belonged  neither  to  The  Bats 
nor  to  the  Morning  Glories  was  somewhat  distracted 
from  the  hitherto  absorbing  subject  of  the  coming  Morn- 
ing Glory  entertainment. 

The  particulars  as  to  the  nature  of  this  entertainment 
were  being  kept  secret,  the  only  information  afforded  by 
the  managers  was  in  praise  of  its  great  originality.  It 
was  to  be  the  most  strikingly  original  affair  the  town 
had  ever  seen.  Lila  Merton  whispered  lispingly  to  Gertie 
Calkins,  Jeff  Plummer,  and  other  favored  ones  within 
the  ring.  She  and  Gertie  formed  themselves  into  a  com- 
mittee to  approach  Neal  Brackley  once  more.  They 
wanted  so  much  to  put  him  down  for  a  piano  solo.  Neal 
thanked  them  profusely,  reiterating  his  pleasure  at  the 
honor  of  being  asked. 

"  But — "  he  hesitated,  "  our  own  club  may  put  on  an 
entertainment  after  the  M.  G.'s  have  pulled  off  theirs." 
This  announcement  created  a  sensation,  not  only  among 
the  Morning  Glories,  but  among  The  Bats  as  well,  who, 
up  to  this  time,  had  not  dreamed  of  such  a  thing. 

"  And  why  not?  "  demanded  one  of  the  new  members 
(who  was  a  daring  Bat  if  ever  there  was  one).  "  Why 
not  stand  behind  Kitty  Candle  and  her  company  and 
give  the  show  in  the  hall  for  the  benefit  of  the  school 
library.  It  is  cowardly  to  let  the  poor  weak  Morning 
Glories  carry  the  burden  of  that  school  library  debt  all 
alone."  Thus  was  the  ball  set  rolling  for  the  public 
appearance  of  Rosey  as  leading  lady  in  the  grand  drama 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  227 

of  "Molly  O'Driscoll's  Dream,"  written  by  Colinette 
Gard  and  produced  under  her  management.  These  were 
details  as  carefully  guarded  as  were  those  of  the  rival 
attraction. 

Nor  was  there  complete  harmony  within  the  club.  If 
one  of  the  newly  admitted  members  was  unusually  reck- 
less, the  other  was  correspondingly  conservative,  raising 
well-grounded  objections  to  the  entire  arrangement. 

"  I  understood  you  to  say,  Colinette,  that  the  paper 
you  was  writin'  on  so  long  was  a  dialogue.  Mr.  Dick, 
Brackley  calls  it  a  play.  Now  you  know  I  don't  believe 
in  plays." 

"  Well,  grandmother,  it  can't  really  be  a  play  because 
the  little  characters  don't  speak  the  words;  I  have  to  do 
all  that  myself." 

"  Um-m-m-m  —  yes,"  hesitated  grandmother,  "  but  can 
you  really  call  it  a  dialogue  when  the  actors  are  all 
wooden-headed  and  as  dumb  as  oysters?  " 

"  Why  then  it  is  just  a  story,  illustrated  by  tableaux," 
explained  Colinette,  and  Mrs.  Gard  was  obliged  to  be 
satisfied  with  that  definition. 

After  The  Bats  had  fully  decided  to  come  into  the  open 
with  a  rival  entertainment  of  their  own,  and  the  an- 
nouncement had  been  made,  it  followed  that  the  entire 
interest  of  the  club  centered  in  the  little  theatre.  It  also 
followed  very  naturally  that  they  were  not  so  careful 
as  to  their  comings  and  their  goings  as  in  the  past.  They 
still  entered  and  left  their  club-room  by  way  of  the  Pet- 
tingill  cellar,  although  there  was  really  no  need,  for  the 
bolts  and  bars  of  the  western  storehouse  door  had  been 
removed   and  there  was   no  reason  why  the   members 


228  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

should  not  use  that  door  to  reach  the  street  at  any  time 
they  wished  save  in  deference  to  the  wishes  of  the  Green- 
eyed  One,  who  pleaded  for  the  more  unhandy  but  ro- 
mantic road  through  the  haunted  house.  She  said  what 
use  was  there  in  being  a  Bat  and  then  walking  into  and 
out  of  the  place  of  meeting  like  a  flock  of  chickens  into 
the  door  of  a  hen-house  in  broad  daylight,  stepping  high 
and  clucking  noisily.  Why,  they  might  better  rechristen 
themselves  The  Busy  Scratcher  Club  and  wear  for  the 
club  emblem  a  white  chicken-feather  in  their  hair.  And 
so  the  members  continued  to  drop,  one  by  one  or  at  most 
two  by  two,  into  the  dusk  of  the  old  Pettingill  door  and 
disappear  noiselessly  from  sight. 

Waldo  Pickens,  stepping  townward  one  evening  rather 
later  than  usual,  saw  his  brother-in-law's  door  open,  heard 
John  Gard's  girl  bid  her  Aunt  Susan  good  night  and 
promise  to  send  her  Susan  home  in  good  time. 

"  Now  I'll  see  whether  they  go  to  Granrma  Gard's,  or 
hike  off  sum'mers  else,"  said  Mr.  Pickens  to  himself. 
And  before  the  two  girls  had  left  the  Dunlap  porch  and 
had  the  glare  of  the  lamplight  out  of  their  eyes,  he  was 
safely  ensconced  among  the  tangle  of  lilac  shrubs  to  the 
east  of  Mrs.  Gard's  house. 

Here  he  beheld  exactly  what  he  had  expected  to  be- 
hold; the  girls  did  not  go  into  Mrs.  Gard's  house,  but 
walked  away  talking  recklessly  of,  '*  the  old  woman  going 
up  the  hill  with  her  back  toward  you." 

What  old  woman  going  up  a  hill  with  her  back  toward 
you?  Why,  who  but  Susan  Gard,  of  course.  And  she, 
the  blind,  simple  old  mummy,  thinking  this  girl  of  John's 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  229 

such  a  wonder!  Perhaps  she  wouldn't  think  John's  girl 
such  a  wonder  when  she  heard  what  he  would  soon  have 
to  tell  her ! 

He  tried  to  make  himself  look  as  much  like  a  lilac  as 
possible  and  succeeded  so  well  that  the  girls  walked  past 
him  without  seeing  him  and  still  discussing  "  the  old 
woman,"  went  on  down  the  hill. 

"  Ah-ha ! "  hissed  Mr.  Pickens  melodramatically, 
"  now  I've  got  yeh !  " 

A  moment  later  he  suffered  an  optical  illusion.  He 
thought  he  saw  the  two  walk  north  on  the  Plummer  cross 
street,  and  then  —  why,  if  it  had  not  been  utterly  im- 
possible, he  should  have  thought  that  he  saw  them  turn 
in  through  the  broken  palings  of  the  fence  which  still 
surrounded  the  old  Pettingill  House. 

He  turned  and  made  his  breathless  way  back  to  Luther 
Dunlap's  place.  He  did  not  even  stop  to  knock,  but 
burst  in  upon  the  family  with  startling  abruptness.  Mr. 
Dunlap  and  his  wife  sat  alone  beside  a  glowing  coal- 
stove.  Luther  had  just  removed  his  shoes  and  was  wrig- 
gling comfortable  stockinged  toes  before  the  fire.  Susan 
Dunlap  was  mending  clothes. 

"Where's  your  youngones?"  demanded  Pickens  in 
such  a  tragic  voice  that  Susan  jumped  up  with  a  nervous 
little  exclamation. 

"  Why,  Elmer's  to  bed  with  a  sore  throat  — " 

"Well,  you've  got  more'n  Elmer,  ain't  yeh?" 

"  Rob's  gone  down  to  the  library,"  said  Luther,  "  and 
Susan's  over  to  Mother  Gard's  with  — " 

"  All  you  know  about  where  Susan  is !  "  Pickens's  hour 


230  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

of  triumph  had  come.  "  You  put  on  your  shoes  and 
we'll  go  over  to  Gram'ma  Gard's  and  see  if  Susan  is 
there  or  not." 

"  Why,  of  course,  she's  there,"  whispered  Mrs.  Dunlap 
tremblingly,  putting  socks  away  in  her  mending  basket 
and  preparing  to  make  one  of  the  searching  party. 

"  You  just  stay  right  here,  Susan;  we  don't  want  you 
along  a-tall,"  said  Pickens.  Luther  was  drawing  on  his 
shoes. 

u  I've  had  just  about  enough  trouble  with  that  girl  of 
yours,  Susan,"  he  declared,  glaring  at  his  wife.  "  Seems 
funny,  me  with  two  boys  who  never  give  any  trouble,  an' 
you  with  one  girl  that  you  nor  your  mother  neither  nor 
the  hull  family  can't  manage.  Hereafter  after  supper 
she  stays  right  strictly  under  this  roof!     You  hear  me?  " 

**  Yes,  Luther,"  replied  Mrs.  Dunlap  contritely.  She 
hoped  that  when  they  found  Susan  with  Colinette  over 
at  her  mother's,  either  reading  or  studying  or  engaged  in 
some  other  harmless  occupation,  as  she  felt  sure  that 
they  would,  the  edict  would  be  withdrawn  or,  at  least, 
softened. 

But  they  did  not  find  Susan  at  her  grandmother's. 
Neither  did  they  find  Mrs.  Gard  herself.  The  house  was 
dark  and  locked. 

"  You  go  back  an'  git  your  lantern,"  said  Pickens.  "  I 
know  where  they  be ;  they're  in  the  old  Pettingill  House." 

"  Nonsense !  "  said  Dunlap,  "  them  girls  wouldn't 
dare  go  into  that  old  rathole  alone  at  night.  Why,  you'd 
hate  to  go  in  there  yourself." 

"  Pshaw !"  said  Pickens,  "  I  ain't  a  coward  if  you  are, 
Luther." 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  231 

"  I  ain't  any  more  a  coward  than  you  are,  and  not 
runnin'  a  farm,  I  don't  have  any  need  of  a  lantern  and 
so  don't  own  one.  And  what  do  we  want  of  a  lantern 
anyhow?  Come  on  down  and  we'll  soon  convince  you 
that  you're  out  of  your  reckonin'.  I  don't  see  what  put 
such  a  notion  into  your  head  anyway.  But  whatever 
way  it  turns  out,  I'll  see  to  it  that  Susan's  girl  don't  run 
round  with  John's  girl  any  more." 

The  two  reached  the  old  house  and  stood  among  the 
rattling  pickets  of  the  fence.  A  clammy  silence  brooded 
over  the  place;  the  chamber  windows  stared  darkly  like 
sinister  old  eyes  —  seven  of  them  on  that  front  alone. 

"  It's  queer  —  this  old  wreck  standing  here  all  these 
years,"  mused  Luther  Dunlap. 

"  I  s'pose  the  taxes  have  et  it  up  years  ago,"  said  Waldo 
Pickens.  "If  real  estate  was  worth  anything  in  this 
town  I  s'pose  a  man  might  git  this  corner  on  a  tax  title. 
This  old  barracks  could  be  torn  down  and  a  rentable 
house  built  out  of  the  lumber  — " 

"  Well,  why  don't  you  go  in?  "  Dunlap  interrupted  his 
brother-in-law  to  ask. 

"  Tain't  my  girl  that's  lost." 

"  But  it's  you  that's  makin'  the  holler." 

'  Tell  you  what  we'd  better  do ;  we'd  better  step  into 
Plummer's  an'  see  if  he  ain't  got  a  lantern." 

"  I  don't  want  to  make  a  neighborhood  talk  out  of  this 
matter,"  objected  Dunlap.  "  One  thing,  I  don't  believe 
you  know  what  you're  talkin'  about.  I  don't  believe  them 
girls  would  even  dare  walk  along  this  side  street  after 
dark,  let  alone  goin'  into  this  place.  And  another  thing, 
wherever  Susan  Taylor  is,  it's  the  last  time  she  goes 


232  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

there!     After  this  she  washes  the  dishes  after  supper 
and  then  she  goes  to  bed  — " 

A  terrifying  noise  sounded  within  the  old  house;  a 
swift  and  horrid  rushing  as  of  some  dire  and  resistless 
force  followed  by  crashing  and  rending  sounds  as  of  a 
conflict  between  giants,  then  groans  and  mutterings. 
The  sounds  were  those  of  a  person  in  great  pain,  or  in 
extreme  anguish  of  mind. 


XIX 

Luther  Dunlap,  who  stood  nearest  the  fence,  turned 
to  run,  but  his  foot  slipped  on  the  uneven  walk  and  he 
went  down  with  a  "whoosh!"  Pickens  leapfrogged 
over  him,  literally  rolling  to  the  sidewalk  and  landing  at 
the  feet  of  Susan  Dunlap  who,  with  a  shawl  whipped 
over  her  head,  had  disobeyed  her  husband's  commands  to 
stay  at  home,  and  followed  the  investigators  in  order  to 
learn  the  worst.  She  gave  a  little  squeak  of  horror, 
grasped  Pickens  by  the  coat-collar  and  tried  with  all  her 
might  to  drag  him  to  an  upright  position. 

The  noise  inside  of  the  hotel  was  really  Villie  Klatz 
pounding  up  the  cellar  stairs,  through  the  main  hall  and 
up  the  chamber  stairs  on  his  hurried  way  to  his  car- 
penter shop  in  one  of  the  upper  rooms.  He  had  for- 
gotten to  bring  down  a  lovely  vista  of  a  hallway  which 
would  appear  as  a  doorway  in  what  was  known  in  the 
Kitty  Candle  Company  as  "  the  American  Scene." 
There  were  also  three  boulders  secured  in  the  Pickens 
oatfield  and  designed  to  roughen  the  foreground  of  "  the 
lonely  Irish  road  "  which  poor,  evicted  Molly  O'Driscoll 
must  travel.  The  stage  was  waiting,  and  in  his  haste 
at  the  top  of  the  stairs  Villie  had  lost  overboard,  not 
only  two  of  the  boulders,  but  the  door-frame  as  well. 
The  latter  had  seemed  to  hit  every  corner  on  its  way 
down  with  splintering  effect.     Villie's  muttered  regrets 

233 


234  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

at  its  destruction  had  added  the  last  touch  of  horror  to 
the  sounds  borne  to  the  ears  of  the  rescuers  outside. 
Such  noises,  coming  from  an  avowedly  haunted  hotel 
would  tangle  stronger  nerves  than  those  of  Waldo  Pick- 
ens and  Luther  Dunlap. 

"  Oh,  dear!  "  groaned  Dunlap,  "  you've  busted  my  leg, 
I'm  afraid!" 

"  I've  busted  your  leg  —  I  ?  Whad'yeh.  mean  —  I 
busted  your  leg ! "  stormed  Pickens.  "  You  nearly 
busted  my  head  —  layin'  down  there  on  the  walk  that- 
a-way  —  scared  to  death  at  nothin' !  " 

"  Are  you  hurt  bad,  Luther  ?  "  whimpered  Susan  Dun- 
lap, dropping  Pickens  and  going  to  the  assistance  of  her 
husband. 

"  Yes,  I  be !  "  he  answered,  but  he  got  upon  his  feet 
and  limped  hastily  in  the  direction  of  home,  leaning 
heavily  on  his  wife's  bony  little  shoulder.  He  paused 
to  advise  his  brother-in-law : 

"  You  go  on  in  an'  investigate,  Pickens ;  you  ain't 
afraid  of  nothin',  you  remember." 

Pickens  stood  puffing  with  anger,  watching  the  pro- 
gress of  his  relatives  toward  home,  one  moment  resolv- 
ing to  follow  his  inclination  and  run  after  them,  the  next 
deciding  to  wait  awhile  and  make  them  believe  he  had 
really  gone  into  the  Pettingill  House. 

He  walked  northward  on  the  side  street  until  he  came 
opposite  the  Plummer  storehouse.  Here  an  unusual 
sight  attracted  him.  It  was  nothing  so  peculiar,  but  he 
had  never  seen  it  before  —  a  long,  perpendicular  streak 
of  light  shining  from  the  storehouse  window.  He  de- 
tested Marcus  Plummer  with  his  superior  airs,  his  seal 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  235 

ring  and  patterned  waistcoat;  his  stenographer  and  his 
air  of  having  more  money  and  knowing  more  about  the 
ways  of  moneyed  men  than  anyone  else  above  the  rail- 
road—  or  of  any  one  else  in  town  for  that  matter,  even 
the  banker.  It  was  not  to  save  Marcus  Plummer  from 
being  robbed  that  he  was  about  to  draw  his  attention 
to  the  fact  of  there  being  a  light  in  his  storehouse;  it 
was  to  convince  that  gentleman  that  he,  Waldo  Pickens, 
was  awake  to  what  was  going  on  in  the  neighborhood. 
He  rang  the  Plummer  front  door  bell  loudly.  Marcus 
Plummer  himself  opened  the  door. 

"  Good  evening,"  said  Waldo  Pickens  with  an  air  of 
importance. 

"  Good  evening,"  returned  Marcus  Plummer,  with  an 
air  not  a  whit  less  important. 

"  I  wondered  if  you  knew  there  was  a  light  in  your 
storehouse.  I've  never  noticed  a  light  in  there  before 
and  I  didn't  know  but  what — " 

"  My  store  —  Oh,  yes ;  I  know  what  you  mean.  Well, 
you  see,  that  isn't  my  storehouse  —  never  has  been,  that's 
Dick  Brackley's  storehouse.  Brackley  reserved  that  end 
of  the  lot  and  the  building  on  it  when  he  sold  me  the 
place.  Yes,  I  never  owned  that  part  of  the  lot.  They're 
in  there  rehearsing  some  sort  of  a  play,  I  guess,  or  so 
my  boy  says." 

"Your  boy  in  it?" 

"  No,  I  think  not.  I  think  the  Brackley  boy  is  in  it, 
though,  and  the  Dunlap  children,  and  a  number  of  young 
folks  from  around  here  above  the  railroad." 

"  Oh,"  said  Waldo  Pickens,  "  I  didn't  know.  Well, 
good  evening." 


236  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

"  Good  evening."  The  door  slammed  with  unseemly 
promptitude,  leaving  Waldo  so  full  of  his  discovery 
that  he  did  not  even  resent  Plummer's  immaculate  hand 
with  its  seal  ring.  He  hurried  right  up  to  the  Dunlap 
house  with  his  news.  He  found  Luther  with  his  feet 
to  the  stove  once  more  but  not  nearly  so  comfortable  as 
he  had  been  on  the  occasion  of  the  first  call.  Susan  was 
bathing  a  swollen  shin  with  arnica. 

"  You  go  down  there  an'  tell  that  girl  to  come  along 
home ! "  roared  Dunlap  after  hearing  Pickens'  report. 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  seconded  Mrs.  Dunlap,  "  you  tell  her, 
Waldo,  that  her  ma  wants  her  to  come  right  along  home ! 
She  has  no  business  to  go  into  any  such  fixings  without 
telling  us." 

"  An'  she  never  would  have  done  it  if  it  hadn't  been 
for  John  Gard's  girl,"  added  Dunlap,  "  and  hereafter  I 
want  you  to  make  it  your  business,  Susan,  to  keep  her 
strictly  away  from  John's  girl  —  yes,  an'  from  Mother 
Gard  as  well.  Mother  Gard  has  got  to  be  such  a  gump 
where  John's  girl  is  concerned  that  a  person  can't  depend 
on  her  at  all." 

"  You  bet  you've  struck  it  just  right  now,"  agreed 
Waldo  Pickens.  "  For  instance,  where  is  she  tonight  ? 
Off  gaddin'  round  to  some  of  the  church  folks'  houses  an' 
her  grand-childern  runnin'  wild  if  I  wasn't  in  the  neigh- 
borhood to  round  'em  up  an'  watch  what  they  was  doin'. 
Practicin'  plays !  Humph !  Nice  silly  business !  I 
guess  if  she  knew  what  they  was  up  to  she'd  feel  pretty 
green.  But  mark  you,  that  girl  will  be  able  to  pull  the 
wool  over  her  eyes;  she'll  tell  her  she  wasn't  practicin' 
plays  and  your  mother'll  believe  her."     His  hand  was 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  237 

on  the  door  to  leave  but  he  turned  back  to  inquire,  "  Have 
you  ever  looked  into  the  matter  of  her  will  as  I  told  you 
to,  to  see  whether  she's  goin'  to  leave  her  property  to 
your  girl,  where  it  belongs,  or  to  John's  girl,  where  it 
don't  belong?" 

Luther  stirred  his  injured  leg  uneasily.  He  had  done 
so,  but  he  did  not  care  to  have  his  wife  know  it.  She 
did  not  approve  Of  his  anticipating  her  mother's  death 
with  so  much  complacence. 

"  Time  enough  for  such  matters  later  on,"  he  said. 
"  You  go  on  down  an'  tell  Susan  to  come  home  this 
minute." 

Armed  with  absolute  authority,  Waldo  performed  his 
mission.  In  twenty  minutes  he  handed  in  his  report  to 
the  Dunlaps. 

"  I  went  down  an'  knocked,"  said  Pickens.  "  Some- 
body sung  out,  '  Who's  there  ?  '  Says  I, '  Susan  Dunlap's 
ma  wants  her  to  come  straight  home ! '  Who  do  you 
s'pose  opened  the  door  for  me?  Mr.  Dick  Brackley  of 
Noo  York!" 

"  Dick  Brackley  !  "  exclaimed  the  Dunlaps  in  unison. 

"  Yes,  Dick  Brackley !  An'  I  stepped  inside  an'  there 
set  Gusta  and  Villie  Klatz,  an'  your  Rob  that  you  thought 
was  down  to  the  library  all  so  fast,  and  the  Brackley  boy, 
and  —  who  else  do  you  think?  Why,  Gram 'ma  Gard 
as  big  as  life!  " 

"  Ma?'"  gasped  Mrs.  Dunlap. 

"  Yes,  Ma !  Colinette  was  up  in  front  sayin'  off  some 
tomfoolery,  and  Susan  was  in  behind  a  big  box  with 
some  kind  of  a  curtain  hangin'  in  front  of  it  an'  two 
lamps  on  a  table.     She  comes  out  and  asks  what  the  mat- 


23B  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

ter  was,  an'  said  she'd  be  along  up  in  a  few  minutes. 
Says  Mr.  Dick  Brackley,  '  Anybody  sick?  '  Says  I,  '  No, 
but  somebody's  mad.'  '  Well,'  says  he,  '  tell  Miss  Su- 
san's father  we'll  be  up  in  a  few  minutes.'  " 

"  '  We  '  ?  Dick  Brackley  ?  "  cried  Mrs.  Dunlap  in  con- 
sternation, "  Luther,  put  on  your  sock,  quick !  " 

"  I  won't  put  on  my  sock  for  the  king  of  England!  " 
declared  Mr.  Dunlap,  "  let  alone  Dick  Brackley!  " 

Mrs.  Dunlap  rushed  about  straightening  things  and 
had  time  to  put  on  a  fresh  apron  before  they  came  — 
eight  of  them,  young  and  old  culprits  together,  to  en- 
deavor to  propitiate  the  Dunlaps. 

"  We  have  come  to  explain,"  began  Mr.  Richard  Brack- 
ley,  who  constituted  himself  spokesman.  "  These  young- 
sters got  up  a  club  which  they  called  The  Bats  — " 

"  Yeh,"  sneered  Luther  Dunlap.  "  Set  some  chairs, 
Susan." 

"  John  Gard's  girl,  here,  discovered  the  tunnel  which 
her  father  and  I  dug  from  the  cellar  of  the  old  Pettin- 
gill  House,  under  the  stone  pavement  to  the  basement  of 
my  studio  when  we  were  going  to  school  together.  They 
started  a  secret  society  in  my  studio,  and  my  boy  Neal 
joined  it.     Interesting,  don't  you  think  so,  Mr.  Dunlap?  " 

"  I  don't  know  as  it's  particularly  interestin  for  chil- 
dern  to  disobey  their  parents.  Put  some  more  arnica 
on  my  leg,  Susan,  an'  wrap  it  up."  Mrs.  Dunlap  did  as 
she  was  bidden. 

"Had  an  accident?"  inquired  Brackley  solicitously. 

"  Yea-h." 

"  Too  bad.  Well,  as  I  was  saying,  I  didn't  know  a 
thing  about  the  invasion  of  my  studio  until  I  took  a 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  239 

fancy  to  come  up  above  the  railroad  and  investigate  my 
holdings  in  this  end  of  the  town.  I  had  bolted  the  studio 
door  on  the  inside  and  knew  that  the  only  way  into  the 
building  was  through  the  tunnel  in  the  cellar  of  the  old 
Pettingill  House.  I  bought  the  Pettingill  property  years 
ago  just  because  of  that  tunnel.  Well,  when  I  came  up 
into  the  studio  I  found  the  cunningest  little  theatre  es- 
tablished there — " 

"  Theatre !  "  exclaimed  several  voices. 

"  It's  nothin'  but  dolls,"  explained  Mrs.  Gard  anxiously. 

"  Dolls  in  tableaux,"  said  Colinette  in  a  voice  scarcely 
above  a  whisper. 

"  It's  the  most  charming,  colorful  little  thing  you  ever 
saw,"  declared  Brackley  enthusiastically,  "  and  the  girls 
got  it  up  all  by  themselves." 

"  Yes,"  broke  in  Neal,  "  and  we're  going  to  give  it 
right  after  the  Morning  Glories  give  their  show.  You 
see,  Colinette  tells  the  story  and  Susan  poses  the 
dolls  — " 

"  Susan  ain't  goin'  to  have  anything  more  to  do  with 
it,"  announced  Mr.  Dunlap  with  an  exasperating  air  of 
finality.     He  put  his  bandaged  foot  on  the  floor  carefully. 

"  Oh,  now,  Dunlap !  "  expostulated  Brackley.  "  Such 
a  ruling  would  spoil  the  scheme.  You  wouldn't  do  that 
I'm  sure,  after  all  the  labor  the  young  folks  have  ex- 
pended on  the  thing." 

"  I  don't  p'pose  to  have  my  family  go  into  the  show 
business.     They  never  have,  an'  they  ain't  a  gunto !  " 

"  Awh,  Paw  — "  began  Rob,  but  Dunlap  turned  upon 
him  fiercely. 

*  You  git  yourself  out  of  here  to  bed !  "  he  commanded, 


240  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

and  The  Bats  were  presently  weakened  by  the  loss  of 
one  member. 

"If  Mother  Gard  wants  to  let  John's  girl  lead  her 
round  by  the  nose,  it  ain't  any  of  my  business ;  I  ain't  got 
no  authority  over  John  Gard's  girl.  If  I  had,  she'd  a 
been  walkin'  the  chalk  long  before  this,  I  can  tell  you." 

w  Boo-hoo-hoo!  "  burst  out  Susan,  and  her  step- father 
sent  her  after  Rob. 

"  You  git  to  bed  now !  Right  off  now !  I  don't  want 
to  hear  no  more  of  this  goins-on!  "  Susan  disappeared, 
sobbing.  "  I'm  master  in  my  own  family  yet  a  spell, 
thank  goodness ! "  Dunlap  glared  at  the  Brackleys. 
Neal  sat  with  a  distressed  look  upon  his  face,  until,  hap- 
pening to  glance  across  where  Colinette's  hands  fluttered 
as  she  sketched  absently  on  the  back  of  the  play  manu- 
script which  she  had  brought  home  for  revision,  he  emit- 
ted a  snort  which  he  tried  unsuccessfully  to  turn  into  a 
sneeze.  They  were  all  there  in  minute  sketches;  his 
father,  pleading  wildly,  he,  himself,  looking  cowed  and 
beaten,  Susan  dissolved  in  tears,  Waldo  Pickens,  Luther 
Dunlap  (in  the  center  and  worked  out  with  great  detail) 
Villie,  Gusta,  and  Mrs.  Gard,  in  a  jumbled,  scarcely- 
indicated  group  of  among-others-present  in  the  back- 
ground. By  a  treacherous  sleight-of-hand  Neal  pos- 
sessed himself  of  the  sketch  much  to  Colinette's  discom- 
fiture. 

"  We  are  sorry,"  Mr.  Brackley  was  saying,  and  rose 
to  go.  Mrs.  Gard,  with  a  sympathetic  glance  at  her 
Susan,  got  up  also.  She  was  sorry  too,  for  she  knew 
upon  whose  slender  shoulders  the  weight  of  Luther  Dun- 
lap's  displeasure  would  fall. 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  241 

"  Ever  since  John  Gard's  girl  come  to  live  with 
Gram'ma  Gard  there's  been  trouble  in  this  neighborhood," 
declared  Waldo  Pickens.  "  You  bet  my  girl  don't  have 
nothin'  to  do  with  John's  girl." 

"  And  neither  will  ours  after  this,"  promised  Dunlap. 

"  Oh,  Luther!  "  remonstrated  his  wife. 

"  I  mean  it,"  returned  Luther.  "  Just  as  Waldo  says, 
she's  kicked  up  trouble  all  along  the  street." 

"  Well,  Colinette,  seems  we  ain't  got  any  friends  in 
this  family;  we'd  better  go  along  home,"  said  Mrs.  Gard. 
"  I'll  say  this  before  I  go,  though,  Luther :  Colinette 
never  has  been  a  disobedient  girl.  She  ain't  been  dis- 
obedient in  this  Bat  business,  not  a  bit  of  it.  The 
Calkins  girl  and  some  others  got  up  a  club  in  school  that 
was  turrible  select  —  wouldn't  take  in  anybody  but  the 
tonies  in  town.  Colinette  got  up  a  club  of  her  own,  and 
it  was  all  right.  Where  she  was  wrong  was  in  breaking 
into  what  she  supposed  was  the  Plummer  storehouse. 
As  it  turns  out,  it  wasn't;  and  she  told  me  the  hull 
scheme  and  asked  me  to  join  her  secret  society,  and  to 
please  her  I  did  join.  I  sent  my  name  in  as  S.  Watson, 
and  they  all  thought  it  was  a  big  joke  when  they  found 
out  who  S.  Watson  was. 

"  Colinette  and  I  ain't  goin'  to  stick  around  where  we 
ain't  wanted;  but,  Susan,  I  want  you  to  come  over  to 
your  ma's  just  as  you  always  have.     Come,  Colinette." 

"  Ah-ha,"  triumphed  Waldo  Pickens,  "  that's  exactly 
what  Miss  Colinette  wants !  She  wants  you  to  drop 
your  two  Susans,  root  an'  branch,  so  you'll  leave  your 
property  all  to  her!  " 

Mrs.  Gard  stared  at  him  a  moment,  then  burst  out 


242  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

laughing,  but  when  she  turned  to  Colinette  she  ceased 
laughing.  There  was  something  tragic  in  the  girl's  face. 
Mrs.  Gard  went  and  laid  a  caressing  hand  on  her  hair. 

"  Colinette,  dear,"  she  said,  "  don't  mind  your  Uncle 
Waldo  Pickens ;  he'd  oughta  been  an  undertaker ;  he's  so 
fond  of  buryin'  folks.  He's  been  buryin'  me  every  week 
for  the  last  fifteen  year.  Come  on  now,  let's  git  home, 
say  our  prayers  and  git  to  bed.     Good-night,  all." 

Richard  Brackley  bowed  low,  as  if  the  queen  were 
passing. 

"  Good-night,  Mrs.  Gard.  You  have  reason  to  be 
proud  of  John's  little  girl,  very  proud  indeed.  Good- 
night, Colinette.  Don't  worry  about  the  Kitty  Candle 
Company;  we'll  pull  the  show  off  in  spite  of  everything. 
Ventures  of  this  sort  always  have  their  ups  and  downs. 
The  name  of  Kitty  Candle  will  be  on  everybody's  tongue 
in  this  town  a  week  from  now." 

He  turned  to  Susan  Dunlap  as  the  door  closed  behind 
Mrs.  Gard,  her  grand-daughter  and  the  two  young 
Klatzes.  "  Your  brother's  little  daughter  is  a  genius, 
Susan.  I  know  that  if  John  Gard  were  alive  he  would 
be  proud  of  her.  I  am  sure  that  you  will  see  the  day 
when  you  are  proud  because  she  is  your  niece.  She  is 
going  to  be  a  beauty  in  time,  but  that  is  a  small  part  of  it. 
She  has  a  talent  —  a  passion,  for  form  and  color.  Your 
whole  family  " —  the  slight  wave  of  his  hand  included 
not  only  the  Dunlap  family  entire  together  with  Mrs. 
Gard,  but  all  of  the  Pickenses  as  well  —  "  will  be  proud 
of  her  some  day.  You  ought  to  get  together  —  all  of 
you  —  and  put  her  through  the  best  art  school  in  New 
York  City.     Come,  Neal,  we  will  go." 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  243 

He  went  away  leaving  a  partially  paralyzed  trio  around 
the  coal-stove.  Waldo  Pickens  was  the  first  to  recover 
speech. 

"Genius!"  he  exploded,  "Art  school!  All  of  us! 
Why,  that  Dick  Brackley  is  crazy!  Who  is  this  here 
Kitty  Candle,  I  wonder?" 

"  I  wonder,"  sighed  Mrs.  Dunlap.  "  I  never  heard  of 
her  before." 

Richard  Brackley  had  given  voice  to  his  justifiable 
indignation.  He  had  told  the  truth  to  Colinette's  rela- 
tives, but  he  had  struck  the  wrong  note.  To  tell  the 
father  of  Helen  Pickens  that  Colinette  Gard  was  a  beauty 
and  a  genius  was  a  grave  mistake.  Waldo  Pickens  proud 
of  anybody  except  his  own  daughter?  What  could  the 
man  be  thinking  of? 

When  Aunt  Rinthy  heard  her  husband's  account  of  the 
night's  doings  she  could  scarcely  credit  it.  The  old  Pet- 
tingill  House  ?  Mercy  me !  A  genius  ?  Good  pity !  A 
beauty?  What  in  the  name  of  the  land  of  liberty  was 
the  matter  with  Dick  Brackley? 

"  Why,  she's  red-headed!  "  screamed  Aunt  Rinthy. 
"  She's    undersized !     She's  —  she's  —  Waldo,    did    you 
tell  Dick  Brackley  that  she's  rickety?     I  guess  that'd  a 
held  him!" 

Colinette  seemed  to  be  crushed.  Mrs.  Gard  could  not 
understand  why  her  grand-daughter,  usually  so  brave  and 
so  ready  to  pick  up  a  difficulty  or  a  failure,  turn  it  to  a 
new  angle  and  to  ultimate  success,  should  be  so  "  beaten- 
like." 

"  I  s'pose  poor  Susan's  out  of  it,"  she  conceded  as  she 
shook  down  the  base-burner,  "  but  don't  fret  about  the 


244  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

dialogue  (Mrs.  Gard  systematically  named  the  Kdtty 
Candle  show  a  dialogue)  if  Gusta  can't  manage  the  doll- 
babies  —  fix  'em  in  place,  you  know  —  I  can  and  I  will. 
Now  don't  you  fret." 

"  I'm  not  fretting  about  the  show  —  the  dialogue  — 
but  — " 

"  But  what,  dear?  "  urged  her  grandmother. 

"  I'm  worried  about  what  Uncle  Waldo  Pickens  said 
about  —  about  you  —  getting  to  like  me  better  than  you 
do  Sue.  You  must  never  do  that,  grandmother,  never. 
Because  I  should  feel  like  a  —  a  wicked  thing  if  my 
coming  to  live  with  you  made  any  difference  to  Sue. 
Poor  Sue,  who  has  hard  enough  times  the  best  way  you 
can  fix  it." 

"  That's  all  foolishness,"  scolded  Mrs.  Gard.  "  Waldo 
Pickens  had  to  think  up  something  to  hurt  you  an'  me  an' 
both  the  Susans  together,  and  he  hit  on  about  the  best 
thing  he  could  invent  —  well,  I  guess  I'd  better  go  an' 
say  my  prayers!  Satan  certainly  has  got  a  weepon  in 
Waldo  Pickens  when  he  wants  to  beat  me.  Yes,  I'd 
better  keep  still  on  the  hull  subject  till  I've  asked  help  to 
skate  over  it.  But  I  will  say,  Colinette,  Waldo  Pickens 
is  one  of  the  biggest,  shaggiest  lions  in  my  upward  path 
an'  allers  has  been!  Him  an'  Rinthy  with  that  set  smile 
of  hers  —  well,  we  won't  talk  any  more  about  it  tonight. 
And  tomorrow  you  an'  me  will  go  down  and  you  show 
me  how  to  set  the  dolls.  I'm  in  hopes  if  Luther  senses 
that  he  can't  break  up  the  dialogue  he'll  relent  an'  let 
Susan  help  after  all.  But  we  can't  depend  on  it;  we've 
got  to  git  ready  for  the  dialogue  just  as  if  Susan  Dunlap 
wasn't  in  this  country." 


XX 

Such  was  Mrs.  Gard's  anxiety  to  further  the  fortunes 
of  the  Kitty  Candle  Unmoving  Picture  Company  that 
she  spent  hours  alone  in  the  Brackley  studio  manipulat- 
ing puppets.  Success  depended  greatly  upon  the  deftness 
with  which  the  fifty  odd  tableaux  were  presented  in  course 
of  the  story.  Another  element  of  success  would  be  the 
surprise  with  which  the  audience  would  first  see  the  dolls. 
Mr.  Richard  Brackley,  who  had  taken  the  performance 
under  his  especial  supervision,  laid  great  stress  on  this, 
therefore  great  secrecy  must  be  maintained.  The  public 
must  be  kept  in  the  dark  as  to  the  identity  of  Kitty 
Candle  and  her  company. 

Helen  Pickens  knew.  Helen  Pickens  could  have  told 
if  she  had  thought  it  worth  while.  But  Helen  had  given 
a  solemn  promise  not  to  tell  and  she  kept  her  promise. 
To  Lila  Merton  and  Gertie  Calkins  she  had  denied  any 
knowledge  of  The  Bats  or  their  activities.  These  two 
facts  kept  her  silent  even  through  her  father's  vaunted 
investigations  and  her  mother's  critical  arraignment  of 
Colinette  and  Mrs.  Gard.  She  was  very  busy  also.  The 
Morning  Glories  had  failed  in  many  of  their  features 
which  were  to  make  their  entertainment  unique  in  the 
annals  of  Redmoon.  They  had  contemplated  a  minstrel 
show,  but  had  given  it  up  because  of  "  the  horrid  black- 
ing up."     If  Neal  Brackley  had  been  "  half-way  decent," 

245 


246  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

they  would  have  tried  a  play,  but  Jeff  Plummer,  the  only 
boy  in  school  at  all  personable  as  a  leading  man  was 
stronger  on  the  diamond  than  he  was  on  the  stage.  In 
fact,  although  he  might  have  looked  the  part  acceptably, 
he  could  not  commit  the  lines,  or  would  not;  and  those 
he  did  manage  to  remember  he  spoke  so  lifelessly  and 
without  the  necessary  conception  of  their  meaning  that 
the  play  was  abandoned  as  hopeless.  This  brought  the 
last  possible  date  of  the  performance  so  fatally  near  that 
there  was  no  time  to  prepare  anything  more  extraordi- 
nary than  a  mixed  musical  programme,  left  to  the  dis- 
cretion of  the  few  who  were  willing  to  expend  enough 
labor  for  even  this  meager  result. 

The  entertainment  was  given  on  a  Friday  night,  and 
the  most  enthusiastic  patron  could  not  conscientiously 
vote  it  a  success.  The  conversation  among  the  perform- 
ers at  school  the  following  week  consisted  mostly  of  ex- 
cuses for  their  several  failures.  Three  of  the  members 
of  the  ladies'  quartette  agreed  that  "  Gertie  Calkins  should 
have  known  better  than  to  try  to  sing  the  first  soprano 
part ;  she  couldn't  sing  up  to  F  without  flatting ! " 

Gertie  laid  the  break-down  to  "  Helen  Pickens's  wooden 
accompaniment."  Jeff  Plummer,  who  was  billed  to  give 
a  very  laughable  black-faced  number,  suffered  stage  fright 
at  the  eleventh  hour  and  bolted,  leaving  a  deplorable  gap 
in  the  programme.  Lila  Merton's  pathetic  little  recita- 
tion could  not  be  heard  beyond  the  first  row,  even  if 
it  had  been  finished.  It  was  not  finished  owing  to  the 
fact  of  Lila's  getting  mixed  in  the  lines  just  where  the 
tragedy  began.  But  she  had  managed  to  get  off  the 
stage  gracefully  and  she  had  looked  very  pretty  and  very 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  247 

much  frightened  and  had  the  sympathy  of  the  audience 
from  the  first;  said  audience,  not  having  heard  much 
of  the  selection,  remained  in  ignorance  of  the  fact  that 
it  had  been  defrauded  of  the  last  quarter  of  the  effort, 
and  applauded  generously. 

Helen  Pickens  was  the  only  performer  who  went  on 
and  on  to  the  bitter  end  —  and  got  no  thanks  for  it.  She 
played  the  piece  which  Colinette  had  named  "  The  Back- 
ward Spring,"  and  in  comparison  with  Lila  Merton's  per- 
formance and  the  applause  vouchsafed  that  unfinished 
effort,  deserved  more  than  the  feeble  and  short-lived 
demonstration  accorded  her.  Aunt  Rinthy  was  fully 
justified  in  her  assertion  that  "  kissin'  went  by  favor  " ; 
that  "  Helen  had  worked  and  Helen  had  accomplished ; 
but  because  she  lived  above  the  railroad  the  "  smarties 
of  the  town  set  down  on  her !  " 

A  certain  picture  remained  in  the  mind  of  Mrs.  Pickens 
for  many  a  day  after  the  concert.  It  was  that  of  Mr. 
Richard  Brackley's  frantic  clapping  when  Helen's 
"  Spring  "  had  run  its  weary  length  and  Helen  was  leav- 
ing the  stage. 

"If  he'd  a  had  his  way,"  she  told  her  daughter,  "  you 
could  have  played  your  other  piece  all  right.  He  clapped 
an'  clapped  an'  clapped.  But  that  little  white-headed 
snippit  of  a  wife  of  his'n  never  touched  her  hands  to- 
gether —  not  once.     I  watched  her !  " 

At  the  close  of  the  entertainment  Neal  Brackley  came 
before  the  curtain  and  announced  another  to  be  given 
a  week  from  that  night.  It  was  to  be  a  play  given  by 
the  Kitty  Candle  Unmoving  Picture  Company,  under  the 
management  of  a  club  known  as  The  Bats. 


248  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

The  announcement  created  quite  a  sensation.  Who 
were  The  Bats  ?  Who  was  Kitty  Candle  ?  These  ques- 
tions were  frequent  as  the  audience  passed  out  of  the 
hall. 

"  Neal  Brackley,  what  are  you  going  to  try  to  do  ?  " 
challenged  Gertie  Calkins  on  the  Monday  morning  after 
the  Morning  Glory  concert. 

"  Can't  tell  yet,"  laughed  Neal. 

"  But,  really,  tell  me,  Neal;  who  is  going  to  perform? 
Is  Colinette  Gard  going  to  be  Kitty  Candle  ?  She'd  make 
a  good  candle;  her  hair  is  red.  Is  she  going  to  be  Kitty 
Candle?" 

"  Oh,  no." 

"Well,  who  is,  then?" 

"Who  is  what?" 

"  Going  to  be  Kitty  Candle?  " 

"  Why,  Kitty  Candle  is  going  to  be  very  much  her- 
self." 

"  Is  she  a  real  actress  ?  " 

"  You  bet." 

"Is  she  pretty?" 

"  Pretty  as  a  doll." 

"  Did  your  father  get  her?  " 

"  Father?     Oh,  no,  but  father  admires  her  very  much." 

"  Doesn't  Colinette  Gard  have  any  part?  " 

"  Oh  —  why  —  yes ;  Colinette  is  the  biggest  part  of  the 
show.     But  wait  till  you  see  for  yourself." 

"  Oh,  I'm  not  coming.     I'm  sick  of  shows." 

"  Naturally." 

"What's  that?" 

"  I  just  asked  you,  actually?     Like  that,  you  know." 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  249 

"  Awh,  yes,  you  did !  You  said  '  naturally.'  You 
meant  that  naturally  I  would  be  sick  of  shows  because 
ours  was  such  a  frost.  Oh,  you  needn't  excuse  yourself, 
Mr.  Neal  Brackley;  we  all  know  it  was  a  frost.  And 
do  you  want  me  to  tell  you  why  it  was  a  frost?  " 

"  Oh,  I  know ;  you  didn't  work  at  it  hard  enough  to 
make  it  a  success." 

"  You  don't  mean  to  tell  me,  Mr.  Neal  Brackley !  Lila, 
come  here!  Do  you  know  what  he  says?  That  our 
show  fizzled  up  because  we  didn't  work  at  it  hard  enough. 
What  do  you  think  of  that?  " 

"  Our  show  was  not  a  fizzle,"  pouted  Lila. 

"  Oh,  do  say  that  again !  I  love  to  hear  you  say 
*  fizzle ' —  that  way,  you  know,  with  the  corners  all 
rounded  off." 

"  I'll  tell  you  why  our  show  was  a  fizzle,"  stormed 
Gertie,  "  Your  old  Bat  Club  was  the  reason.  If  you 
and  Colinette  Gard  had  joined  us  and  we  had  all  worked 
together  we  might  have  got  up  one  respectable  entertain- 
ment instead  of  two  fizzles !  " 

"  Oh,  give  us  poor  Brothers  of  the  Night  a  chance," 
begged  Neal.  "  Give  us  the  benefit  of  the  doubt.  We 
have  a  week  yet  to  strut  round  in  before  we  go  down 
to  defeat  with  the  rest  of  you." 

"  That  wooden-fingered  Helen  Pickens  can't  play  ac- 
companiments," continued  Gertie.  "  She  ruined  our 
quartette  — " 

"Awh,  come  off,  Gertie;  we  ruined  it  ourselves,"  cut 
in  Lila.  "  You  flatted  and  I  sharped.  Saint  Cecelia 
herself  couldn't  have  played  an  accompaniment  to  such  a 
noise." 


250  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

All  day  Friday  the  Brothers  of  the  Night  were  in  their 
places  at  school.  The  only  Bat  who  showed  the  least 
nervousness  was  Susan  Dunlap,  who  had  no  part  in  the 
performance  whatever.  For  days  preceding  the  enter- 
tainment she  had  feared  an  edict  from  her  step- father 
forbidding  her  to  attend.  Elmer  talked  about  the  show 
a  good  deal,  dangling  it  before  his  father's  mental  vision 
continually.  But  Elmer  was  due  to  catch  something, 
having  had  a  longer  respite  than  usual  from  contagious 
diseases.  Elmer  came  down  with  the  Dutch  measles  and 
was,  virtually,  cut  off  from  his  kind  during  the  days 
immediately  preceding  the  play.  Even  Waldo  Pickens 
was  called  away  to  serve  on  the  jury  for  that  week  and 
was  absent  at  the  county  seat.  Aunt  Rinthy  was  extra 
busy  with  painters,  getting  ready  for  her  yearly  plunge 
into  unseasonable  house-cleaning,  which  would  enable  her 
to  finish  before  any  of  her  neighbors  began  and  then  sit 
through  their  struggles  and  brag  about  it.  Thus,  Friday 
evening,  Susan  actually  found  herself  curled  in  the  corner 
of  a  seat  in  the  middle  of  the  opera  house,  seventh  row 
back.  She  congratulated  herself  heartily  that  her  step- 
father had  forgotten  to  forbid  her  to  attend,  and  even 
more  heartily  that  she  was  down  there  in  the  semi-gloom 
of  the  audience-room  instead  of  up  behind  that  mysteri- 
ous swaying  curtain  waiting  to  be  devoured  by  the  raven- 
ous wolves  who  would  soon  fill  the  seats  about  her. 

She  shuddered  when  she  thought  of  Rosey.  Suppose 
Gram'ma  Gard  shouldn't  brace  Rosey's  little  wooden  legs 
just  as  they  should  be  braced  on  their  little  tin  standard, 
and  Rosey  should  topple  over  with  her  head  in  the  fire- 
place,  her  petticoats   fluttering  in  plain   sight   and  her 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  251 

little  tin  platter  on  edge  like  a  cart  wheel,  the  most  con- 
spicuous article  on  the  stage?  It  was  bound  to  happen 
to  some  of  the  dolls.  It  always  had,  even  with  the  great- 
est care  in  posing  them.  She  did  hope  Rosey  would  not 
be  the  victim. 

Of  course,  Rosey  would  remain  serene,  but  she,  Rosey's 
doting  owner,  she  was  almost  sure  that  she  should  "  yelp 
right  out!" 

Susan  did  not  know  of  the  weights  of  sheet  lead  de- 
signed by  Mr.  Brackley  to  fit  the  original  platters  and 
which  would  make  such  accidents  improbable. 

The  house  began  to  fill.  How  ridiculous  that  all  these 
people  should  come  to  see  those  dolls  of  Colinette's  and 
hers.  Oh,  dear!  she  wished  that  Colinette  had  not  been 
led  into  such  foolishness!  What  if  they  all  laughed  at 
Colinette's  poor  little  story,  and  hissed  when  she  came  out 
to  tell  the  second  part  of  it? 

There  were  the  Tabbs,  and  the  Magridges,  and  Lizzie 
Smith  and  her  mother.  And  there  came  the  Calkinses 
—  oh,  how  Susan  did  wish  that  Rosey  had  never  put 
Colinette  in  mind  of  — 

And  there  was  Jeff  Plummer  and  Lila  Merton  right 
up  near  the  front  —  Oh,  poor  Colinette !  And  poor 
Rosey ! 

Everybody  in  town  was  there.  Villie  Klatz  was  tak- 
ing tickets  at  the  door;  Rob  was  one  of  the  ushers,  Mr. 
Brackley  the  other.  Mr.  Brackley  serving  as  usher  gave 
a  tone  to  the  whole  proceeding.  He  greeted  everybody 
as  if  he  were  his  dearest  friend  for  whom  he  had  been 
waiting  up  to  that  time.  Mr.  Calkins  called  to  him  twice 
to  bend  down  and  receive  some  facetious  communica- 


252  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

tion;  the  banker,  Mr.  Day,  chuckled  and  joked  as  he  was 
being  packed  into  his  seat.  He  held  Dick  Brackley  to 
introduce  him  to  a  stranger  who  had  come  as  his  guest. 
The  banker ;  think  of  it!  come  to  see  poor  Colinette,  and 
poor  Rosey ! 

Susan's  hands  trembled  where  they  lay  in  her  lap. 
She  changed  their  position,  and  when  the  outer  curtain 
suddenly  rolled  up  disclosing  another  of  dull  crimson 
velvet,  she  drew  in  her  breath  sharply  and  held  it  a  long 
time.  She  could  discern  the  square  of  velvet  in  the 
center  which  she  knew  would  open  soon  on  the  first  act. 

The  house  was  very  full,  and  across,  on  the  other  side 

—  Susan  could  hardly  believe  that  she  was  seeing  straight 

—  if  there  wasn't  Uncle  Waldo  Pickens,  Helen,  and  Aunt 
Rinthy  herself,  smiling  broadly  in  hopes  of  another  fail- 
ure. Aunt  Rinthy  gazed  frequently  at  Mrs.  Brackley's 
serenely  beautiful  face  under  its  crown  of  white  hair. 

Neal  Brackley  came  from  behind  the  curtain  and  sat 
down  at  the  piano.  Susan  thought  that  he  looked  like  a 
young  prince.  A  ripple  of  curiosity  and  approval  ran 
over  the  audience.  This  was  the  first  time  that  Red- 
moon  had  had  the  opportunity  to  hear  him  play.  He  was 
a  little  pale  and  a  little  nervous,  with  a  nice,  appealing 
boyishness,  Susan  thought,  but  his  playing  was  wonder- 
ful. He  was  realizing  his  ambition  as  voiced  on  the  occa- 
sion of  his  entering  The  Bats;  he  was  "  playing  to  rows 
and  rows  of  people  who  had  paid  real  money  to  hear 
him,"  and  he  was  playing  well. 

Before  the  applause  had  died  entirely  away  a  brilliant 
circle  of  light  flashed  upon  the  left  of  the  velvet  curtain 
and  in  the  middle  of  it  stood  Colinette,  bowing  and  smil- 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  253 

ing.  She  wore  a  little  straight  plain  slip  of  a  dress  made 
from  the  green  satin  lining  of  an  old  cloak  which  Mrs. 
Gard  had  treasured  for  years.  Susan  recognized  that 
lining  at  once  although  the  dress  was  a  surprise.  She 
had  wondered  what  Colinette  would  wear.  Among  the 
bright  braids  of  Colinette's  hair  shone  five  rose  geranium 
leaves,  and  on  the  front  of  her  dress  a  bat  spread  black 
enamel  wings  and  winked  its  green  eyes. 

Colinette  began  immediately  to  tell  the  story  of  poor 
Molly  O'Driscoll  and  her  young  daughter,  Sheelah.  She 
used  the  rich  brogue  of  the  west  of  Ireland  skilfully,  and 
in  the  manner  of  one  who,  in  some  past  time,  had  been 
literally  soaked  in  it.  Susan  was  not  surprised  at  her 
cousin's  skill  in  this;  she  knew  of  it  before. 

The  small  curtains  glided  back  to  disclose  the  first 
tableau,  and  the  audience  broke  into  a  storm  of  applause. 
It  was  so  new,  so  unexpected,  so  life-like  and  so  very, 
very  little.  The  interior  of  the  old  cabin,  the  fireplace 
of  stone  with  the  wee  kettle  swung  over  a  turf  fire. 
(Susan  could  hardly  credit  the  fire  under  that  little 
kettle.  Richard  Brackley  had  built  that  fire  with  a  red 
electric  bulb  and  some  red  tissue  paper.)  The  table  held 
two  small  porridge  dishes  and  a  pitcher  filled  —  so  the 
audience  learned  from  the  story  —  with  goat's  milk  ready 
for  the  humble  evening  meal  when  Sheelah  the  daughter 
came  home. 

The  door  at  the  back  of  the  stage  stood  open  and 
through  it  the  audience  looked  out  upon  a  long  road  which 
mounted  a  "  knockawn  "  and  was  bordered  on  one  side 
by  a  dark  Irish  bog. 

Over  the  kettle  bent  an  old  woman,  and  the  story,  al- 


254  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

ways  progressing,  told  of  the  old  woman's  hopes  and 
fears,  small  comforts  and  great  poverty,  and,  more  than 
all,  her  great  pride  in,  and  love  for,  her  daughter,  Shee- 
lah. 

Sheelah  appeared,  as  beautiful  in  her  red  peasant  dress 
as  any  little  leading  lady  could  be,  with  no  hint  of  the 
dreadful  scratches  which  had  once  on  a  time  disfigured 
her  face.  On  her  arm  she  carried  a  basket  from  which 
she  took  a  newspaper  telling  of  "  the  great  marriage, 
dade  an'  indade,"  of  Bridy  McDermott,  her  former  play- 
mate, who  had  gone  "  across  the  slitherin'  say  "  to  Amer- 
ica some  years  before  and  who  now  wanted  Sheelah  to 
better  her  own  condition  by  seeking  the  land  of  promise. 

The  tableaux  appeared  so  frequently  that  the  audience 
was  wholly  absorbed  in  the  scene,  listening  to  the  story 
with  no  consciousness  of  the  teller. 

Through  the  heart-breaking  scene  of  Sheelah's  avowal 
of  her  intention  to  go  to  America  and  leave  her  mother 
and  her  young  sweetheart,  Kinney  Kelley;  through  the 
last  meal  together ;  through  the  packing  and  the  farewells, 
and  the  coming  of  Kinney  Kelley  with  the  little  Irish 
ass  and  cart  to  carry  away  Sheelah's  baggage;  and  the 
last  scene  of  the  first  act,  the  old  mother  asleep  in  the 
chimney-corner  beside  an  ashen  hearth,  the  door  stand- 
ing ajar  and  the  pigs  and  chickens  taking  possession  of 
the  cheerless  hut,  the  story  wound  its  way  without  a 
break.  This  tableau  closed  the  first  act  and  the  audience 
caught  its  breath  and  realized  that  the  little  green-clad 
story-teller  was  no  longer  on  the  stage,  but  that  Neal 
Brackley  had  struck  into  a  medley  of  American  airs,  ring- 
ing   the    changes    rapidly    through    "  Suvvanee    River," 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  255 

"Hot  Time,"  "Hail  Columbia"  and  "Marching 
Through  Georgia." 

In  America  Sheelah,  prosperous  and  forgetful  of  her 
old  mother,  walked  in  wonderful  gowns  and  sat  down  at 
rich  tables  in  beautiful  and  bewildering  rooms.  (Susan 
had  not  dreamed  of  their  beauty  under  properly  maneu- 
vered electricity.)  In  the  Plummer  storehouse  they  had 
not  seemed  to  bear  out  Colinette's  descriptions. 

Before  the  last  act  Mr.  Richard  Brackley  came  before 
the  curtain  and  explained  that  the  play  was  the  work  of 
the  young  girl  who  had  read  it.  Not  only  had  she  writ- 
ten the  story  and  recited  it  with  sufficient  skill  to  make 
the  audience  lose  sight  of  her  in  her  story,  but  she  had, 
also,  designed  and  painted  the  scenery. 

"  In  fact,"  Mr.  Brackley  concluded,  "  Miss  Colinette 
Gard  is  the  whole  show."  He  led  her  forth,  smiling, 
and  the  audience  stamped  its  approval.  She  ran  back  of 
the  curtain  and  came  out  again  immediately  dragging  on 
a  very  reluctant  and  bewildered  grandmother  with  one 
hand,  and  Villie  Klatz  with  the  other.  Mrs.  Gard  car- 
ried, clasped  to  her  bosom,  Kitty  Candle  and  old  Mrs. 
Glassus. 

The  audience  fairly  rose  at  them.  Mrs.  Brackley  in 
her  enthusiasm,  stood  up  and  reached  two  shapely  hands 
toward  the  stage  crying  out,  "  Oh,  isn't  she  a  little  dar- 
ling!    A  perfect  little  darling!  " 

Aunt  Rinthy  Pickens,  although  on  the  other  side  of 
the  hall,  saw  this  demonstration  and  knew  that  Mrs. 
Brackley  was  not  referring  to  Kitty  Candle. 

The  last  act  showed  Molly  O'Driscoll  in  the  same  posi- 
tion in  which  the  curtain  had  closed  her  in  at  the  end  of 


256  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

the  first  —  sleeping,  with  her  head  against  the  stones  of 
the  chimney,  while  the  pig  and  chickens  ravaged  her  pan 
and  her  kettle.  The  now  wholly  sympathetic  crowd  real- 
ized that  the  American  scene  was  merely  Molly's  dream ; 
that  Sheelah  had  not  deserted  her  old  mother  —  in  fact, 
had  not  gone  to  America  "at  all  —  at  all,"  but  was  to 
marry  Kinney  Kelley  and  take  Molly  and  all  back  with 
Bridy  McDermott,  who  had  come  for  her  old  mother 
(played  by  Mrs.  Glassus,  the  jointless  one)  to  the  land 
of  plenty.  The  play  ended  with  a  wild  Irish  jig,  danced 
to  wild  Irish  music  and  shown  forth  by  rapidly  changing 
tableaux  which  demanded  the  greatest  activity  and  dex- 
terity on  the  part  of  Grandmother  Gard,  ably  assisted  as 
she  was  by  Villie  Klatz  and  Mr.  Dick  Brackley. 

"Oh,  I  must  have  her!  I  really  must!"  cried  Mrs. 
Brackley  as  she  laid  aside  her  wraps  after  her  return 
from  the  theatre. 

Her  husband  laughed. 

"  I'm  thinking  you  would  have  hard  work  to  pry  her 
away  from  her  grandmother." 

"  But  can't  we  do  something  for  her?  Make  a  party, 
or  buy  her  some  lovely  things,  or  —  oh,  something,  to 
show  her  how  much  we  think  of  her?  " 

"Whom  would  you  ask  to  the  party,  mother?"  de- 
manded Neal. 

"  Oh,  all  the  nice  girls  and  boys  in  Redmoon  —  the 
very  best,  you  know." 

"  Would  you  leave  out  Villie  and  Gusta  Klatz,  and  the 
Dunlaps,  and  — " 

"  Oh,  the  Dunlaps  —  they  are  so  —  so  —  and  the 
Klatzes  are  — ■" 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  257 

"  Ah-ha,  my  dear  mommie,  if  you  think  Colinette  Gard 
is  snob  enough  to  thank  you  for  a  party  that  was  too  fine 
for  the  Dunlaps,  Klatzes  and  her  grandmother,  Mrs.  Gard, 
you  have  another  guess  coming." 

"  Why  don't  you  send  her  to  New  York  for  a  year  or 
two  in  the  art  schools,  Alice?"  suggested  Brackley. 

"Oh,  Richard,  may  I?" 

"  To  be  sure.  I'll  back  you  to  any  length  in  that,"  he 
told  her. 

"  You're  off  again,  my  dear  parents,  and  take  it  from 
me,  she  isn't  a  snob,  neither  is  she  a  pauper.  If  you 
should  propose  sending  her  to  school  she  would  give  you 
that  salty  little  stare  of  hers  —  I  know  that  stare ;  it's  the 
kind  she  uses  to  keep  you  in  your  place  —  she'd  stare 
soberly  at  you  and  make  you  believe  you  were  sort  of 
going  crazy,  don't  you  know."  Neal  was  youthfully 
scornful  of  his  mother's  density  in  regard  to  Colinette 
Gard. 

"  And  if  she  should  say  yes,  her  grandmother  would 
say  no.  You  mustn't  curl  up  your  little  nose  at  Mrs. 
Susan  Gard,  mother.  She's  a  winner  —  is  grandmother, 
and  a  lady  through  and  through." 

"  You  are  a  dear  boy,  to  speak  so  kindly  of  a  —  a  — " 

"  No  I  am  not.  Mrs.  Gard  has  spoken  kindly  of  me 
two  or  three  times ;  I'm  merely  returning  the  compliment. 
In  fact,  Mrs.  Gard  had  the  charity  to  say  that  I  played 
well  tonight,  something  which  none  of  my  own  family 
seemed  to  have  noticed." 

His  mother  went  across  the  room  to  him  and  kissed 
and  flattered  him,  enlarging  upon  the  fact  of  his  looking 


258  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

well  rather  than  of  his  playing  well,  flattery  which  Neal, 
with  a  gesture  of  impatience,  refused  to  accept. 

"  You  might  do  this,  Alice,"  suggested  Brackley,  "  you 
might  call  on  Mrs.  Gard  in  a  friendly  and  neighborly  way, 
and  mention  what  you  would  do  for  Colinette  if  Colinette 
were  your  daughter.  Then,  if  Mrs.  Gard  shows  any 
enthusiasm,  you  might  mention  casually  that  you  are  to  be 
in  New  York  at  least  part  of  the  time  and  would  take  the 
girl  under  your  wing  — " 

"  I'll  go  up  tomorrow ! "  declared  Mrs.  Brackley  en- 
thusiastically. Then  she  kissed  "  her  boys  "  and  tripped 
off  to  bed. 

"  She'll  forget  all  about  it  before  tomorrow,"  laughed 
Brackley  as  the  door  closed  behind  his  pretty  wife. 

"  No,  she  won't,"  returned  his  son,  "  because  I  shan't 
let  her." 


XXI 

The  pronounced  success  of  the  Kitty  Candle  Unmov- 
ing  Picture  Company's  entertainment  had  its  effect  on  a 
number  of  Redmoon  citizens.  It  forever  broke  the  as- 
cendency of  the  Morning  Glories  in  the  younger  set.  To 
wear  a  shining  enamel  bat  on  the  lapel  of  the  coat  was 
the  honor  most  eagerly  sought  after.  A  number  of 
persons  fell  deeply  in  love  with  Colinette  Gard.  Prom- 
inent among  these  were  Mrs.  Brackley,  Helen  Pickens, 
Lila  Merton  and  Jeff  Plummer. 

It  became  noised  abroad  —  not  through  Colinette's  or 
her  grandmother's  telling  —  that  the  Brackleys  had  of- 
fered to  give  Colinette  two  years  of  study  in  the  New 
York  art  schools,  but  that  she  and  her  grandmother  had 
refused  to  accept  the  offer.  The  information  was  al- 
ways added  that  Mrs.  Gard  herself  would  send  Colinette 
to  study  art  in  New  York. 

When  Waldo  Pickens  heard  this  rumor  he  went  im- 
mediately to  interview  Susan  Gard.  He  said  he  could 
not  believe  that  she  would  be  that  foolish  unless  he  heard 
it  from  her  own  lips. 

"  Don't  you  know  that  it'll  clean  you  out  ?  Take  every 
cent  that  you've  got  in  the  world?" 

Mrs.  Gard  replied  that  she  supposed  it  would,  but, 
just  the  same  she  was  going  to  do  her  duty  by  John's 
girl. 

"And  what  about  your  duty  to  Susan's  girl?"  bel- 

259 


260  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

lowed  Pickens,  and  knew  the  moment  after  that  he  had 
made  a  hit. 

He  went  away  leaving  Susan  Gard  sorely  troubled. 

Pickens  had  an  especial  and  personal  grievance  against 
John's  girl.  Through  her  officiousness  in  bringing  the 
Klatz  boy  into  the  limelight,  Marcus  Plummer  had  taken 
notice  of  him  and  had  offered  him  big  wages  to  work  in 
his  grain  elevators.  It  was  provoking  to  lose  a  cheap, 
dependable  hired  man  in  such  a  manner. 

It  was  remarkable  how  Villie  Klatz  improved  in  ap- 
pearance and  speech  during  the  following  summer.  Once 
he  had  told  the  Green-eyed  One  his  great  ambition,  and 
whenever  he  had  a  chance  to  talk  with  her  alone  he  still 
mentioned  it  freely,  for  he  knew  that  his  blushing  secret 
would  be  kept  sacredly. 

"If  you  want  Susan  to  like  you  you  must  talk  and 
dress  like  the  gentleman  you  really  are,"  Colinette  had 
said  to  him  during  a  confidential  chat.  "  Lots  of  boys 
and  men  dress  and  look  as  if  they  amounted  to  something 
when  they  don't;  while  a  real  man,  like  you,  Villie,  goes 
slouching  along  saying  '  Already  yet,'  and  wearing  farmer 
clothes  on  Sundays,  and  nobody  dreams  how  fine  and 
brave  you  are  on  the  inside.  Now  if  I  were  a  boy,  and 
had  a  nice  flat  back  and  broad  shoulders  like  yours,  I 
wouldn't  lope  off  this  way."  Colinette  illustrated,  and 
Villie  roared  with  laughter. 

"  My  goodness,  Colinette,  do  I  go  like  that  ?  " 

"  Yes,  you  do.  And  if  you  ever  expect  the  girls  to 
like  you  you  must  brace  up  and  stop  it.  And  you  must 
be  a  little  more  like  your  sister  Gusta  and  care  for  '  things 
that  go  on.'  " 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  261 

Villie  took  these  suggestions  kindly  and  profited  by 
them. 

Twice  during  the  year  the  Kitty  Candle  Company  per- 
formed to  crowded  houses,  but  although  the  plays  were 
more  elaborate,  and  given  with  the  same  amount  of  care, 
because  of  the  lack  of  the  surprise  element  they  were  not 
altogether  as  successful  as  the  first  had  been.  It  was  like 
telling  a  joke  for  the  second  and  third  time.  The  public 
enjoyed  it,  but  they  knew  what  was  coming.  And  then 
the  Brackleys  went  away  to  be  gone  a  long  time,  and 
without  Neal  the  company  languished.  The  studio,  Mr. 
Brackley  said,  was  to  be  used  as  a  clubhouse  for  The 
Bats,  theatre  for  the  Kitty  Candle  Company,  and  most 
especially  for  a  studio  in  which  Colinette  was  to  work 
until  the  time  came  for  her  to  go  East  to  study. 

"  It  is  your  best  road  to  independence,"  he  told  her 
during  their  last  interview.  "  Work  at  your  drawing  and 
painting  whenever  you  can,  get  through  school  here  in 
Redmoon  as  soon  as  possible,  and  write  us  when  you 
come  to  the  city.  Mrs.  Brackley  and  I  will  see  that  you 
get  settled  and  started  properly  at  your  work  there." 

The  year  after  the  Brackleys  left  was  to  have  been  a 
year  of  triumph  for  Colinette;  a  year  which  was  to  have 
opened  the  door  of  the  world  to  her.  She  and  her  grand- 
mother had  lived  small  —  had  economized  in  every  pos- 
sible way. 

"  We  skimp,  but  we  have  a  good  time,"  she  told  Susan, 
as  they  sat  one  day  chatting  on  the  sagging  porch  of  the 
little  gray  house.  It  was  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
and  Colinette  was  going  down  town  to  shop  for  her  fall 
hat,  the  hat  she  would  wear  to  New  York,  for  she  would 


262  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

be  gone  now  in  less  than  a  month.  Susan  and  Mrs.  Gard 
had  both  planned  to  go  with  her  on  this  pleasant  and  mo- 
mentous occasion,  but  Mrs.  Kize  had  sent  for  grand- 
mother in  the  morning  to  spend  the  day,  and  Aunt  Rinthy 
Pickens  had,  the  week  before,  fallen  down  cellar  and 
broken  her  arm  and  had  asked  Susan  to  help  out  for  a 
week  or  two.  This  particular  day  Susan  had  slipped 
away  between  the  noon  dishes  and  supper-planning  for 
five  minutes'  chat  with  her  cousin. 

"  And  I  shall  pay  grandmother  back  every  cent  and 
good  big  interest  to  boot  when  I  get  started,"  went  on 
Colinette,  pursuing  the  subject  upon  which  they  had  been 
talking. 

"  Oh,  gram'ma  doesn't  count  that  you  owe  her  any- 
thing. She  couldn't  live  without  you,  Colinette,"  said 
Susan. 

"  She  would  have  got  along  well  enough  if  I  had  never 
come,"  said  Colinette  sadly.  "  Sometimes  I  think  it 
would  have  been  better  for  her  if  — " 

"  To  have  lived  all  alone  in  this  little  gray  house  and 
work  all  alone  in  her  garden  and  gone  to  prayer  meeting 
alone  — " 

"  You  and  Aunt  Susan  go  to  prayer  meeting  with  her." 

"  But  think  how  proud  she  is  of  you." 

"  She  is  proud  of  you,  too.  You  are  her  grand-daugh- 
ter as  well  as  I  am." 

"  But  I  am  big  and  homely  and  of  no  account  at  all." 

"  Don't  talk  like  that,  Sue,"  begged  Colinette,  "  it  makes 
me  feel  dreadfully  blue,  as  if  —  why,  as  if  —  I  were  tak- 
ing something  which  belonged  by  right  to  you." 

Susan  laughed. 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  263 

"  You  are  a  goose,  Colinette,  for  a  person  who  is  really 
as  smart  as  you  are." 

But  Colinette  remained  troubled. 

"  Gram'ma's  greatest  moments  are  when  she  comes  over 
to  our  house  or  goes  up  to  Aunt  Rinthy's,  and  brags  about 
what  you  are  going  to  do  in  New  York." 

"Brags,  Sue?     Grandmother  doesn't  brag." 

"  Well,  perhaps  it  isn't  bragging  exactly ;  perhaps  I 
might  better  call  it  anticipating.  Whatever  it  is,  it  drives 
Aunt  Rinthy  nearly  crazy.  She  and  Uncle  Waldo  — 
yes,  and  father  too  —  have  what  you  might  call  Colinette 
sociables,  when  they  sit  and  count  up  the  cost  of  art 
education  in  New  York.  Aunt  Rinthy  is  especially  busy 
now  that  you  are  getting  ready  to  go  and  are  spending 
real  money  on  clothes." 

"  I  haven't  spent  much  yet,  you  know  that,  Sue." 

"  Of  course,  I  know  it,"  laughed  Susan,  "  nobody  bet- 
ter, when  I  have  helped  make  your  two  dresses,  the  only 
two  you  will  have." 

Colinette  rose  and  brushed  her  skirts. 

"  I  suppose  I  must  be  going.  I  think  I  shall  get  just 
a  frame  and  make  my  hat  myself." 

"  Oh,  do !  "  exclaimed  Susan. 

"  I  hate  to  do  it." 

"  Oh,  Colinette,  I'll  do  it  for  you ;  my  fingers  just  itch 
to  get  at  it!" 

"  Would  you  like  to  make  hats  for  a  living?  " 

"  Would  I?    Well,  I  should  say  I  would!  " 

"  It  would  be  horrible  to  me.  Well,  if  you  want  to 
help  me  I  will  see  what  I  can  do  in  the  way  of  a  hat- 
shape.     If  Mrs.  Chedder  hasn't  anything  that  is  pretty 


264  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

I  may  wear  my  old  hat  and  get  the  new  one  in  the  city." 

"  Oh,  I  do  hope  you  won't  do  that.  I  do  hope  you'll 
find  something  at  Chedders  so  I  can  see  it.  I'm  afraid, 
though.  Mrs.  Chedder  is  always  slow  in  getting  her  fall 
stock  and  it  is  early  yet." 

"  Well,  I  shall  see.  And  I  must  hurry  or  I  shan't  get  in 
my  hour's  work  at  the  studio  before  supper.     Good-by." 

Colinette  did  not  hurry.  She  even  took  time  to  go 
around  by  the  Brackley  house,  closed  and  lifeless-looking 
now.  Mrs.  Brackley's  cordial  little  letter  was  at  home 
in  her  writing-box  this  very  minute.  It  gave  minute  in- 
structions about  how  to  proceed  in  case  any  chance  pre- 
vented them  meeting  at  the  station. 

She  wondered  if  Neal  would  be  at  home,  and  if  his 
school  experiences  had  changed  him,  or  if  he  would  still 
be  the  jolly  good  comrade  of  the  old  Bat  days.  She  knew 
how  boys  did  change,  and  get  smart  and  mannish  and 
grown  up  and  horrid  after  they  went  to  the  kind  of 
school  to  which  Neal  had  been  going. 

He  had  written  a  number  of  gay  funny  letters  ad- 
dressed to  her,  but  to  be  read  to  the  assembled  Bats,  in 
which  he  always  encouraged  Rob  in  the  matter  of  his 
violin  practice.  Rob  could  now  play  "  Oh,  Lady,  Art 
Thou  Sleeping  ?  "  with  as  much  rapidity  as  that  composi- 
tion required.     It  was  quite  a  triumph. 

Colinette  sighed  as  she  walked  slowly  past  the  great 
house  with  its  closed  shutters.  No  matter  what  good 
times  awaited  her  in  the  city,  they  would  not  be  the 
Redmoon  good  times.  If  she  saw  Neal  at  all  —  and  it 
was  not  likely  that  she  should  —  he  would  be  a  grown-up 
Neal,  not  the  boy,  the  good  Brother  of  the  Night  whom 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  265 

she  had  known  here  in  this  house  and  up  and  down  this 
street  and  up  at  the  studio. 

At  Mrs.  Chedder's  Colinette  found  Lizzie  Smith  try- 
ing on  pale  gray  sailors.  The  shop  was  full  of  women 
wandering  about  with  no  one  to  wait  upon  them  save  one 
small  apprentice  girl. 

Lizzie  gave  her  little  squeak  of  delighted  surprise  when 
Colinette  came  in. 

"  Isn't  it  too  bad,"  she  murmured,  with  her  usual 
gesture  of  deep  regret,  "  Mrs.  Chedder  is  sick  in  bed 
again." 

Colinette  expressed  her  sympathy.  Lizzie  bent  to  her 
in  a  confidential  manner: 

"  She  just  sent  the  girl  to  ask  me  to  come  into  the  back 
room  to  see  her.  She  wants  to  sell  out  to  mama.  She 
wants  mama  to  buy  her  out  and  combine  this  business 
with  her  own.  Dress-making  and  millinery  go  so  well 
together,  she  says."  Lizzie  drew  down  her  chin  in  the 
sarcastic  little  grimace  Colinette  knew  so  well. 
"  And  —  will  your  mother  buy  her  out?  " 
The  drawing  down  of  the  chin  again  and  a  slight  roll- 
ing of  the  pale  plue  eyes. 

"  Certainly  not ;  mama  has  all  the  business  and  more 
too  than  she  can  attend  to  now.     And  besides,  a  thousand 
dollars  is  too  much  for  this  business." 
"  She  is  the  only  milliner  in  Redmoon." 
"  People  go  to  Milltown  for  their  hats." 
"  Perhaps  they  wouldn't  if  you  and  your  mother  — 
"  I  ?  "     Lizzie  gave  a  ladylike  little  scream.     "  I  will 
never  be  either  a  milliner  or  a  dressmaker.     I  dislike  them 
both  very  much.     I  intend  to  teach." 


266  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

Colinette  tried  on  the  gray  sailor  which  Lizzie  had 
just  discarded.  She  did  not  care  for  it.  She  thought 
best  to  postpone  her  purchase  until  the  millinery  shop 
was  in  less  of  a  tangle. 

She  walked  homewards  in  a  thoughtful  mood.  At  the 
door  of  the  studio  Susan  was  waiting  for  her.  There 
were  signs  of  a  storm  in  her  cousin's  face. 

"  Well,"  began  Susan,  "  it's  all  settled  about  me." 

"Settled?  What  do  you  mean?"  asked  Colinette 
bending  to  unlock  the  studio  door.  She  ushered  Susan 
in. 

The  studio  had  changed  very  much  in  appearance  since 
the  day  Colinette  first  came  into  it  through  the  secret 
passage.  All  the  lumber  had  been  cleared  away.  Even 
the  curtains  and  different  sets  of  scenery  belonging  to  the 
little  theatre  were  securely  packed  in  two  big  boxes,  frame 
and  all.  A  sense  of  space  pervaded  the  big  room  —  of 
space  and  beauty.  The  easel  in  the  middle  of  the  floor 
held  a  half-finished  study  in  oils;  the  melodion  stood 
open  showing  yellow  ivory  keys  and  an  ornate  music 
rack.  Rob  Dunlap's  violin  hung  above  it.  There  were 
flowered  curtains  at  the  windows,  and  three  large  com- 
fortable chairs  in  the  center  of  the  room,  drawn  together 
as  if  for  confidential  chats.  The  collection  of  moths, 
jars  of  pickled  reptiles,  uncompleted  models  of  ships  and 
steam  threshers  which  had  cumbered  the  shelves  had  dis- 
appeared. 

Susan  plumped  into  one  of  the  big  chairs  and  began  to 
sob.     Colinette  drew  up  another. 

"  Now  tell  me  all  about  it,"  she  commanded,  and  Susan 
began : 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  267 

"  When  I  left  you  today  I  ran  over  a  minute  to  see 
ma.  Pa  was  there.  I  didn't  know  he  was  there  or  I 
shouldn't  have  gone  in  at  all.  Well,  it  seems  that  he  ran 
out  of  work  this  afternoon  and  had  stopped  to  call  on 
Aunt  Rinthy  on  his  way  down  home  —  he's  fixing  the 
Beckmans'  barn  —  and  Aunt  Rinthy  complained  to  him 
about  my  work.  Said  great  strong  thing  like  me,  and 
yet  I  couldn't  do  out  a  washing  as  quickly  as  Helen  could, 
nor  as  nice.  Says  that  now  my  school  days  are  over  I 
ought  to  be  taught  to  work.  She  told  pa  she  would 
give  me  two  dollars  a  week  and  teach  me  to  do  housework 
and  to  keep  a  house  as  my  mother  never  could  teach  me 
because  she  had  never  been  taught  herself.  Ain't  it  hor- 
rid? And  I've  got  to  do  it,  for  pa  says  I  can't  live  at 
home  any  more.  He  says  I've  lazed  around  long  enough. 
He  says  that  he's  workin'  like  a  slave  to  provide  for  his 
family  and  that  Rob  and  I  must  git  out  and  hustle  for 
ourselves  after  this.  He  says  Aunt  Rinthy  is  as  good 
as  she  can  be  to  take  me  on  and  learn  me  —  that's  what 
he  called  it,  learnin'  me !  I  hate  him !  "  Susan  paused 
for  some  expression  of  sympathy,  but  none  came  and  so 
she  went  on: 

"  There's  nothing  ahead  of  me  except  to  be  Aunt 
Rinthy's  hired  girl  for  a  year  or  so,  and  then  somebody 
else's  hired  girl,  and  after  awhile  I'll  marry  some  big 
clumsy  farmer  like  Villie  Klatz,  and  have  a  lot  of  big 
homely  girls  just  like  me,  who  will  go  out  to  be  hired 
girls  as  soon  as  they  are  big  enough ! "  She  paused 
again,  sobbing  now  and  then  in  a  hopeless  manner.  She 
looked  over  at  Colinette,  who  sat  huddled  in  a  chair  so 
much  too  large  for  her  that  she  reminded  Susan  of  the 


268  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

doll  Rosey,  flung  there  to  await  the  pleasure  of  real 
folks. 

And  yet  there  was  a  difference;  Rosey  always  smiled, 
Rosey  was  always  calm  no  matter  what  happened.  Rosey 
had  smiled  with  her  mouth  even  while  gazing  out  through 
those  disfiguring  rings  which  Elmer  had  scratched  about 
her  eyes.  Colinette  was  not  smiling ;  Colinette  was  stern- 
looking  —  terribly  white  and  stem-looking.  Somehow, 
although  she  had  not  spoken  since  Susan  had  begun  to 
unfold  her  grievance,  Susan  knew  that  she  had  not  ap- 
pealed for  sympathy  in  vain.  She  felt  a  sudden  great 
buoyancy,  as  if  she  had  been  drowning  in  a  sea  of  dish- 
water and  Colinette  was  about  to  throw  her  a  golden 
rope  of  rescue. 

And  yet  what  could  Colinette  do  against  Aunt  Rinthy 
Pickens,  her  stepfather,  and  fate  itself  —  Colinette;  just 
a  helpless  little  girl  herself? 

There  was  a  queer  little  clock  on  the  studio  wall.  It 
was  just  a  cheap  little  alarm  clock  for  which  Villie  Klatz 
had  carved  a  frame  and  apron  so  that  it  resembled  some 
wonderful  antique  work  of  art.  It  could  be  heard  clack- 
ing away  as  the  two  cousins  sat  in  silence.  Susan  shiv- 
ered and  glanced  up  at  it. 

"  I've  got  to  go,"  she  said.  "  If  I  should  be  late  with 
the  Pickens'  supper  I'd  catch  gowdy !  " 

"  Wait  a  minute,"  commanded  Colinette,  and  Susan 
sank  back. 

"Well,  hurry  up,  Colinette;  if  you've  got  anything  to 
say,  say  it  quick,  because  I've  got  to  skip." 

"  How  would  you  like  to  go  into  business  with  me?  " 

"  The  Show  business?  " 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  269 

"  No,  the  millinery  business." 

"  Oh,  you  mean  for  the  dolls.     Don't  be  silly." 

"  No,  I  mean  for  grown  folks  —  Mrs.  Calkins,  Mrs. 
Brackley,  Mrs.  Plummer?" 

Susan  was  impatient.     "  It's  no  time  for  being  funny." 

"  Why  don't  you  answer  my  question  ?  " 

**  Oh,  I'll  answer  you;  I'll  say  yes,  yes,  yes!  " 

"  And  do  you  mean  yes,  yes,  yes?  " 

"  Yes,  yes,  yes,  I  do  —  look  at  that  ratty  little  clock ! 
Good-by.  Shall  you  be  down  here  after  supper?  Maybe 
I'll  sneak  down  again  for  a  minute." 

"No,  I  don't  think  I  shall  paint  after  supper;  it  will 
be  too  cold." 

"  All  right,  then.  Good-by."  Susan  fairly  flew  out 
of  the  building  and  up  the  hill  in  the  direction  of  Aunt 
Rinthy's. 

Colinette  dragged  out  her  paint-box  in  a  mechanical 
sort  of  way,  took  up  her  maulstick  and  put  her  palette 
on  her  thumb.  Thus  equipped  she  stood  dumbly  before 
her  easel  while  the  little  clock  ticked  on  fussily  like  a 
clucking  hen.  She  took  out  no  colors,  made  no  move  to 
paint ;  she  merely  stood  in  a  dumb  misery,  as  if  looking 
her  last  on  the  face  of  a  dear  dead  friend.  The  wester- 
ing sun  shot  a  disillusioning  ray  athwart  the  canvas 
on  the  easel.  In  such  a  light  it  was  merely  a  mass  of 
unmeaning  daubs  of  colors. 

Colinette  slowly  laid  the  maulstick  in  its  place,  hooked 
the  palette  into  the  top  of  the  color-box  and  closed  the 
box  gently.  She  pushed  the  easel  back  into  the  corner 
and  packed  the  box  behind  it. 

"  Good-by,  butterflies,"  she  whispered,  quoting  from  a 


270  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

sad  little  poem  she  had  read  but  the  day  before.     "  Good- 
by,  butterflies." 

She  left  the  two  chairs  standing  as  she  and  Susan  had 
occupied  them  and  with  a  strange  air  of  finality,  went 
out,  closing  and  locking  the  door  behind  her. 


XXII 

"  But  you  don't  want  to  be  a  milliner ;  you  know  you 
don't!"  wailed  Mrs.  Gard.  "You  want  to  draw  pic- 
tures for  the  papers  like  Dick  Brackley  does,  and  to  paint 
landscapes  an'  faces,  an'  such.  And  Dick  Brackley  says 
to  me,  '  Mrs.  Gard,  it's  your  duty  to  see  to  it  that  John's 
girl  has  her  chance.  She's  a  genius,  that's  what  she  is/ 
says  Dick  Brackley.  And  I'm  a  goin'  to  do  it.  I  told 
you  I  would,  an'  I'm  a  goin'  to.  Why,  my  goodness! 
What's  come  across  you?  You've  been  as  fierce  as  a 
little  wagon  to  go  all  the  time  up  to  now,  and  now,  when 
the  money's  all  ready  for  you  in  the  bank,  and  you  got 
your  clothes  pretty  near  ready,  now  you  want  to  back 
out  ?     Why,  Colinette,  are  you  crazy  ?  " 

"  But,  grandmother,  think  of  Susan !  Think  of  hav- 
ing to  be  Aunt  Rinthy  Pickens'  hired  girl,  and  after  that 
somebody  else's  hired  girl,  and  then,  after  awhile,  marry- 
ing a  —  a  great  big  man  of  some  sort  and  having  a  lot 
of  great  big  girls  who  will  all  have  to  go  out  and  be  hired 
girls  in  their  turn." 

"  Well,  that  ain't  the  worst  thing  in  the  world.  And 
Susan  ain't  a  genius  like  you  are.  And  you  are  my  grand- 
daughter just  as  much  as  Susan  is,  and  I  can't  do  for 
you  both.  I've  only  got  the  one  thousand  dollars  and 
this  house.  And  if  you're  ever  goin'  to  learn  to  paint, 
Dick  Brackley  says  it's  high  time  you  was  up  an'  at  it." 

271 


272  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

"I  shan't  go,  grandmother;  I've  —  changed  my  mind. 
I  don't  want  to  learn  to  paint." 

Susan  Gard  gazed  sternly  at  her  grandchild.  Her  lips 
trembled  with  emotion. 

"  Well,  Waldo  and  Rinthy  Pickens  and  Luther  Dunlap 
have  all  said  that  I  didn't  have  any  authority  over  you; 
that  you  wound  me  right  round  your  little  finger.  Now 
they're  goin'  to  find  out  that  they're  mistaken.  You  want 
me  to  take  that  thousand  dollars  and  set  Susan  up  in 
the  millinery  business  so  she  won't  have  to  be  Aunt 
Rinthy  Pickens's  hired  girl  and  afterwards  marry  a 
farmer  and  have  great  big  daughters  who  will  have  to 
grow  up  to  be  hired  girls.  Now,  doin'  housework  ain't 
the  worst  thing  in  the  world;  us  Gard  women-folks  have 
always  done  it,  an'  done  it  pretty  well,  Aunt  Rinthy  Pick- 
ens to  the  contrary  notwithstandin'.  And  Susan  won't 
be  obliged  to  marry  an'  have  great  big  daughters  if  she 
don't  want  to.  Ain't  anybody  goin'  to  force  Susan  to 
marry." 

"  Grandmother,  look  all  around  the  world  at  the  men 
whom  women  marry.  Can't  you  see  that  they  wouldn't 
have  done  it  if  they  hadn't  been  forced  into  it  by  work 
that  was  terrible  for  them,  and  too  hard  for  them  to  do  ? 
Look  at  your  own  Susan — " 

A  flood  of  red  swept  over  Mrs.  Gard's  cheek  bones. 

"  You  don't  want  our  Susan  to  meet  the  same  fate ;  I 
know  you  don't." 

"  You're  too  young  to  discuss  these  things,"  said  Mrs. 
Gard  severely. 

"  Susan  is  too  young,  but  I  am  not." 

"  Susan's  older'n  you  be." 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  273 

"  In  years,  but  —  not  in  other  ways,  grandmother, 
and  you  know  it.  Susan  will  always  be  younger  than  I 
am  —  younger  and  more  —  sort  of  —  helpless." 

Mrs.  Gard's  chin,  lips  and  hands  were  fluttering,  but 
her  eyes  burned  fiercely.  She  was  engaged  in  an  un- 
equal battle  and  she  realized  it  fully.  The  steely  stub- 
bornness of  that  strong  young  spirit  in  the  tense  little 
body,  standing  so  undaunted,  so  unyielding  there  before 
her,  that  quick  brain  which  was  able  to  turn  her  own 
arguments  back  upon  her  so  effectively,  were  hard  to 
combat.  But  she  would  not  be  conquered  by  a  child. 
Waldo  and  Luther  and  Rinthy  should  be  brought  to  ac- 
knowledge their  mistake  in  this.  She  had  allowed  her- 
self to  be  led  by  the  girl  —  she  was  willing  to  admit  so 
much,  and  she  was  not  ashamed  of  it  nor  regretful  even 
now  —  but  when  it  came  to  a  question  of  the  child's  own 
good,  they  should  find,  Waldo  and  Rinthy  and  Luther, 
that  she  could  stand  like  a  rock ! 

Colinette  had  come  into  her  life  like  a  beautiful,  color- 
ful bird  nestling  under  the  wing  of  a  drab  and  tattered 
barnyard  fowl  who  had  known  nothing  beyond  the  sordid 
necessities  of  scratching  and  pecking  for  its  daily  food. 
Who  could  blame  her  for  being  a  bit  dazzled,  a  bit  led 
away  from  even  good,  everyday  sense  at  times?  But 
now  they  should  understand,  and  Colinette  herself  should 
understand,  that,  although  her  old  grandmother  had 
played  her  games  with  her,  had  joined  her  secret  society, 
and  posed  her  dolls,  and  listened  and  laughed  at  her 
drolleries  when  it  might  have  been  wiser  to  have  chided 
her,  now  she  should  find  that,  after  all,  her  grandmother's 
word  was  law. 


274  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

"  You  put  on  your  hat  an'  go  down  an'  git  the  rest  of 
your  things,"  she  commanded.  She  brought  out  her 
purse  and  selected  a  bill  from  it  which  she  handed  to 
Colinette.  "  Git  your  gloves  at  Calkinses',  and  go  to 
Mrs.  Chedder's  an'  git  you  a  hat  of  some  kind.  She 
won't  have  anything  different  for  two  months  yet,  an'  if 
you  are  sick  of  it  when  you  git  to  New  York  you  can 
buy  you  another  one  there  in  the  city." 

Colinette  went  to  her  room  and  came  out  ready  for  her 
errand.  She  had  always  been  in  the  habit  of  kissing 
her  grandmother  before  she  went  anywhere,  even  when 
she  was  only  going  down  to  the  studio  for  an  afternoon's 
work.  She  came  now,  as  usual,  and  put  her  arms  around 
her  grandmother's  neck  and  kissed  her.  But  there  was 
something  strange  in  her  kiss  —  something  terrible ;  as 
if  she  were  bidding  her  farewell  forever  and  ever. 

A  great  fear  took  hold  upon  Mrs.  Gard.  She  caught 
Colinette' s  hands  in  her  own  and  shook  them  almost 
roughly. 

"  What  makes  you  act  so  ?  "  she  demanded. 
"  I  don't  know  what  you  mean,  grandmother." 
"  What  makes  you  kiss  me  that  way,  as  if  —  as  if  — " 
"  Don't  I  always  kiss  you  when  I  go  away  ?  " 
"  Well,   go  on,   then.     And  don't  lose  your  money. 
Remember,  we've  got  a-plenty  to  do  what  we've  planned 
to  do  so  long,  but  we  ain't  got  any  to  throw  away;  not  a 
dollar." 

From  the  front  walk  Colinette  turned  and  waved  back 
at  her  grandmother,  and  although  she  had  done  this  a 
hundred  times  before,  the  action  brought  again  that  un- 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  275 

named  fear,  that  dreadful  atmosphere  of  final  farewell, 
which  had  come  to  her  with  Colinette's  kiss. 

"  It's  like  a  warnin' !  "  Mrs.  Gard  muttered,  and  went 
out  to  the  walk  to  watch  Colinette  out  of  sight. 

She  watched  until  the  last  glint  of  the  girl's  green  hat 
disappeared  over  the  railroad  embankment. 

"  Is  she  goin'  to  die?     Or  is  she  goin'  to  —  run  away !  " 

Her  mind  rushed  back  to  the  day  on  which  Colinette 
had  come  to  her  unheralded,  mysteriously  —  a  little  mys- 
tery herself.  Deny  it  as  earnestly  as  she  might,  in  her 
heart  Mrs.  Gard  knew  this  child  to  be  a  mystery.  Her 
easy  prevarications,  her  unusual  ambitions,  her  strong 
likes  and  dislikes,  the  power  she  wielded  over  those  of  her 
own  age  and  her  elders  as  well. 

Waldo  was  right  about  that;  everything  in  the  neigh- 
borhood had  been  more  or  less  effected  by  the  child's  com- 
ing. 

"  No  more  like  me,  or  her  pa,  or  her  Cousin  Susan 
than  a  humming-bird  is  like  a  billy  goat,"  murmured  Mrs. 
Gard. 

She  went  over  to  Susan's  to  "  set  a  spell,"  because, 
somehow,  she  could  not  endure  to  stay  alone  in  her  own 
house  through  the  long  hours  until  Colinette's  return. 

Susan  Dunlap  was  frying  doughnuts.  She  was  thin 
and  tired-looking.  Elmer,  sprawling  in  a  kitchen  chair, 
gorged  himself  with  cakes.  His  stepmother  was  obliged 
to  make  a  detour  to  avoid  his  long  legs  stretched  ob- 
trusively into  the  middle  of  the  kitchen  floor. 

"  Elmer,"  said  Mrs.  Gard,  "  want  to  earn  a  quarter?  " 

"  Don't  know  whether  I  do  or  not,"  replied  Elmer, 


276  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

gazing  with  satiety  at  the  pan  of  cakes.  If  Gram'ma 
Gard  expected  him  to  work  half  the  afternoon  digging 
potatoes  or  splitting  kindling-wood  for  a  quarter,  she 
was  going  to  get  left.  His  time  was  too  valuable  to  allow 
of  cheap  work  any  more.  He  was  fifteen,  and  man  size, 
and  when  he  did  start  in  to  work  he  intended  to  get  real 
pay  for  what  he  condescended  to  do. 

"  Colinette  has  just  gone  to  town,  an'  I  felt  kindah  ner- 
vous about  her.  I've  had  a  —  a  bad  dream.  I'm  afraid 
she's  goin'  to  git  hurt  or  —  or  something.  I  want  you 
to  skip  along  down  after  her.  She's  goin'  to  Calkinses' 
to  git  a  pair  of  gloves,  and  to  the  milliner's  to  git  a  hat. 
Then  she'll  be  comin'  home.  You  skip  on  down  an' 
sort  of  —  of  look  after  her,  will  you?  Don't  say  a 
word  to  her,  nor  to  anybody  that  I  sent  you." 

This  job  was  entirely  to  Elmer's  liking.  He  took  the 
quarter  and  "  skipped." 

"  I'm  glad  you  sent  him  off/'  sighed  Mrs.  Dunlap. 
"  He'd  a  been  sick  agin  as  sure  as  suds.  He's  et  nine 
of  them  doughnuts.  When  he  lets  himself  loose  on 
doughnuts  that  way,  it  always  upsets  his  stomach.  He's 
got  a  delicate  stomach  and  always  has  had.  He's  allers 
overet,  and  he's  took  too  much  medicine.  Luther  has 
always  poured  medicine  down  him." 

"  I'd  set  the  doughnuts  away  an'  forbid  him  glaumin' 
down  so  many  if  it  was  goin'  to  make  him  sick." 

Susan  smiled  at  her  mother  sarcastically. 

"  Yes,  you're  such  a  good  hand  to  make  youngones 
mind,  ma,  you'd  better  talk !  " 

"  Well,  it's  pretty  late  to  start  in  now,  but  I'll  try  my 
hand  at  it."     Mrs.  Gard  jerked  the  calico-covered  rock- 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  277 

ing-chair  in  from  the  sitting  room  and  forced  her  daugh- 
ter into  it.  "  Now  you  set  there  while  I  finish  these 
cakes." 

Susan  laughed  weakly.  The  chair  was  restful  to  her 
aching  back  and  shoulders.  She  leaned  her  head  against 
it  and.  took  off  her  glasses  and  wiped  them,  and  then 
she  wiped  tears  from  her  eyes. 

Her  mother,  deftly  turning  the  golden  cakes,  watched 
her  uneasily. 

"  What's  the  matter,  Susan?  " 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know ;  I'm  kindah  —  run  down  an'  beat 
out,  I  guess." 

"  The  work  is  too  much  for  you,  now  that  you  don't 
have  Susan  to  help  you." 

"  No,  it  ain't  that.  In  a  way,  I'm  glad  Susan's  gone. 
There  won't  be  the  everlastin'  jangle  about  what  she  eats, 
and  what  she  says  and  what  she  wears  an'  what  she 
does !  Luther  can  be  awful  wearin'  at  times.  I  wouldn't 
mind  Susan's  bein'  gone  if  only  she  didn't  have  to  work 
for  Rinthy  Pickens.  The  poor  child  has  had  Luther's 
nagging  to  stand  all  the  days  of  her  life,  and  now  she's 
got  Rinthy  to  drive  her  like  a  dog,  an'  call  her  a  great, 
overgrown,  lazy  thing  1" 

"  Susan  is  big,  but  she  ain't  lazy,"  witnessed  Susan's 
grandmother. 

14  No,  Susan  ain't  lazy,"  said  Susan's  mother.  "  She's 
done  work  around  this  place  that  was  boys'  work  and 
that  boys  ought  to  have  been  made  to  do,  but  wasn't." 

"  Why  don't  you  let  her  work  somewhere  else  besides 
at  the  Pickenses  ?  " 

*  Because  Rinthy  needs  help,  and  Luther'd  be  mad  if 


278  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

Susan  went  anywhere  else  to  work.  He'd  never  let  her 
step  her  foot  inside  home  again.  It's  the  way  he  pitched 
her  out  last  week  that  makes  me  almost  crazy.  I  de- 
clare, I  just  wished,  then  an'  there,  that  I'd  never  married 
the  second  time.  If  I  hadn't  had  a  child  of  my  own 
when  I  married  Luther  it  would  have  been  different.  I've 
tried  hard  not  to  see  any  difference  between  his  an'  mine, 
but  it's  been  uphill  work,  and  I  don't  think  Luther  ever 
made  the  slightest  effort  to  care  for  my  child.  He  just 
boarded  her  because  he  had  to  and  drove  her  round  like 
a  little  slave  an'  let  his  youngones  abuse  her.  And  now 
he's  turned  her  out  for  his  sister  to  abuse  an'  drive 
around.  Not  that  I'm  complaining;  I  don't  expect  Susan 
to  live  a  life  of  sloth.  But  workin'  for  Rinthy  Pickens 
is  about  the  most  slavish  job  I  can  think  of ! 

"  Luther  says  I've  pampered  Susan  an'  coddled  her 
just  as  you  have  pampered  and  coddled  Colinette  — 
spoilin'  her,  he  says,  and  makin'  her  think  herself  too 
smart  an'  fine  for  earthly  livin'.  He  says  Colinette  works 
you  for  all  you're  worth;  that  it  don't  make  any  differ- 
ence what  you  say  it's  what  she  says  that  goes." 

"  Luther  don't  know  as  much  about  me  an'  Colinette 
as  he  thinks  he  does,"  returned  Mrs.  Gard  uneasily.  "  In 
little  things  I've  always  humored  my  youngones;  but  in 
big  things,  things  that  matter,  I've  had  my  own  way. 
You  know  that,  Susan." 

"  I  know  you  used  to  with  John  an'  me." 

"  Yes,  and  I  do  with  John's  girl.  For  instance,  you 
can  tell  Luther  that  John's  little  girl  has  made  up 
her  mind  that  she  ain't  goin'  to  study  painting  in  New 
York." 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  279 

"  For  goodness'  sake !  When  did  she  take  that  notion? 
I  thought  she  was  crazy  to  go." 

"  She  was,  but  she  changed  her  mind.  She  says  she 
won't  go  and  have  a  good  time  an'  learn  to  draw  an' 
paint  while  her  Cousin  Susan  has  to  work  in  Aunt  Rinthy 
Pickens'  kitchen." 

"  For  the  land's  sake!" 

"  Yes,  but  I  ain't  goin'  to  have  it.  She's  going  to  the 
city  to  learn  to  paint.  We've  made  all  the  arrangements, 
and  she's  a  goin' !  "  Mrs.  Gard  took  out  a  quota  of 
golden  brown  rings  and  plumped  in  a  layer  of  white  ones. 
She  wanted,  and  expected,  Susan  to  express  approval  of 
her  stand,  but  Susan  remained  perversely  silent. 

"  Don't  you  think  I'm  right?  "  she  demanded,  "  Eh?  " 

"  Well  — "  began  Susan  grudgingly,  "  in  the  first  place, 
Luther  thinks,  and  so  do  I,  that's  it  a  big  mistake  for  a 
woman  in  your  position  ever  to  think  of  sending  her  to 
the  city  to  learn  such  a  silly  thing  as  paintin'.  He  says 
there  ain't  no  market  for  any  such  truck  when  you  git 
it  done.  He  says  chromos,  and  these  enlarging  photo- 
graphs firms,  have  just  put  that  stuff  out  of  business,  and 
I  think  he's  pretty  near  right  on  that.  And  then  to  spend 
a  thousand  dollars  —  a  thousand  dollars !  Why,  ma,  it 
seems  dreadful  to  us.  It  would  seem  different  if  you 
was  rich  —  if  you  had  ten  thousand  dollars,  but  only 
having  what  you  have  got,  and  to  spend  it  all  learnin' 
John's  girl  to  do  something  that's  all  out  of  date  — 

"  But  this  new  notion  of  Colinette's  will  show  Luther 
one  thing :  It  will  show  Luther  that  he  was  wrong  about 
Colinette's  workin'  you  to  a  fare-you-well  in  order  to  git 
her  way  an'  go.     Says  Luther,  '  It's  about  as  crazy  a 


280  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

thing  for  Mother  Gard  to  do  as  could  be  thought  up,  but,' 
says  he,  '  John's  girl  knows  how  to  fool  her  good  and 
plenty,  and  so  there's  no  use  any  of  us  talkin'  to  her  an' 
trying  to  save  her  from  flinging  away  all  she's  got  in  the 
world.' 

"  They  talk  about  it  all  the  time  —  him  and  Waldo  — 
and  Waldo  puts  Luther  up  to  all  kinds  of  foolishness." 

"What  does  Waldo  say?"  In  her  resentment,  Mrs. 
Gard  took  the  last  frying  of  cakes  out  before  they  were 
really  done  and  set  the  kettle  of  fat  in  the  pantry  to  cool. 

"  Oh,  Waldo  says  you  are  gettin'  to  an  age  where  you 
ain't  capable  of  taking  care  of  your  own  property.  He 
says — "     Susan  hesitated. 

"  Go  on,"  urged  Mrs.  Gard  fiercely. 

"  Waldo  told  Luther  that  if  he  was  in  his  place  and 
married  to  your  daughter  he'd  see  if  he  couldn't  do  some- 
thing about  havin'  a  guardian  appointed,  or  something 
like  that." 

"  Well,  you  tell  your  man  and  Waldo  Pickens  that 
Susan  Gard  is  full  up  able  to  take  care  of  her  own  affairs 
yet  a  spell,  will  you,  Susan?  You  tell  'em  that  Susan 
Gard  is  in  the  habit  of  doin'  her  duty  when  she  knows 
what  that  duty  is.  Tell  'em  she  done  her  duty  by  you 
till  you  got  somebody  else  to  take  care  of  you,  and  that 
she  done  her  duty  by  John  till  he  went  off  out  of  her 
way  so  she  couldn't  do  anything  more  for  him.  You 
tell  'em  that  Susan  Gard  has  tried  to  do  her  duty  by 
John's  little  girl,  who  has  been  sent  her  by  the  Lord  to 
take  care  of.  She  is  my  grandchild  and  she's  got  a  gift 
such  as  the  Lord  has  never  seen  fit  to  bestow  on  any  Gard 
before.     You  tell  'em,  though,  that  she's  awful  pretty  an' 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  281 

awful  headset,  two  things  that  no  Gard  has  ever  been 
before,  and  for  them  reasons  she's  got  to  be  handled  a 
little  different  from  what  any  Gard  has  ever  been  handled 
before.  But  you  tell  'em  —  and  don't  forgit  this,  Susan 
—  I  want  you  to  tell  Luther  this  tonight,  that  Colinette 
is  bound  to  give  up  goin'  to  school  in  New  York  City. 
She  don't  want  to  go,  and  says  flat  out  that  she  ain't  a 
goin'.  Now  her  poor  weak-minded  old  gram'ma  says 
she  is  a  goin'!  Be  sure  to  tell  'em  that  this  is  exactly 
how  the  case  stands.  And  then  —  tell  'em  to  watch 
which  way  the  cat  jumps !  That'll  tell  the  tale  as  to 
whether  Colinette  rules  in  our  house  or  whether  I  rule. 
You  tell  'em  to  watch !  " 

Susan  Dunlap  said  nothing.  She  was  surprised  at  her 
mother's  attitude  in  the  matter.  She  was  also  very  much 
surprised  at  Colinette' s  change  of  desires.  They  talked 
of  other  matters,  especially  of  Rinthy  Pickens'  overbear- 
ing ways  with  Susan. 

"Always  Helen,  Helen,  Helen!"  complained  Mrs. 
Dunlap.  "  Helen  has  to  be  held  back  or  she  works  too 
hard ;  Susan  has  to  be  prodded  in  order  to  earn  her  keep." 

They  went  back  into  the  living-room  and  Mrs.  Gard 
peered  anxiously  from  the  east  window. 

"  Time  they  was  comin',  I  should  say,"  she  commented, 
"  It's  pretty  near  suppertime." 

Just  then  Elmer  came  into  view,  walking  leisurely, 
hands  in  pockets,  mouth  pursed  to  a  nonchalant  whistle. 
Mrs.  Gard  met  him  at  the  sidewalk. 

"  Didn't  see  her  at  all,"  was  his  report.  "  I  went  to 
Calkinses,  but  she  hadn't  been  there  — " 

"  Did  —  you  say  you  was  lookin'  for  her?" 


282  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

"  Why,  of  course,  I  did.  How  did  you  s'pose  I  was 
goin'  to  find  her  if  I  didn't  ask?"  He  took  his  hands 
out  of  his  pockets  to  spread  in  disgust;  his  prominent 
blue  eyes  bulged  with  disdain  at  an  old  woman's  foolish- 
ness. "  I  as't  Mr.  Calkins  if  she'd  been  there  buyin' 
shoes,  an'  he  as't  the  clerk,  an'  the  girl  clerk  as't  the  man 
clerk,  an'  they  wanted  to  know  what  the  matter  was,  an' 
I  told  'em  you'd  had  a  bad  dream  an'  sent  me  down  — " 

"  Oh,  dear !  "  lamented  Mrs.  Gard.  "  Well,  don't  say 
any  more  about  it  —  not  to  anybody,  will  you  ?  Not  to 
your  father  nor  to  —  well,  not  to  anybody.  She  probably 
went  to  the  milliner's  first  and  was  kept  longer  than  she 
expected  to  be  — " 

"  No,  she  didn't ;  the  milliner  shop  is  shut  up  and 
locked.  I  went  there  twice  and  there  ain't  anybody 
there." 

"  Well,  I'm  much  obliged,"  murmured  Mrs.  Gard  and 
went  home  hurriedly.  She  could  not  account  for  the 
state  of  her  mind.  Was  Waldo  Pickens  right  about  her 
being  "  a  little  off  "  ?  Would  a  perfectly  sane  person 
worry  herself  into  a  nervous  frenzy  because  another  per- 
son was  gone  two  hours  longer  than  she  was  expected  to 
be  gone? 

Mechanically  Mrs.  Gard  lighted  the  supper  fire  and  put 
the  kettle  on  to  boil.  She  made  frequent  trips  to  the  east 
window.  She  saw  Helen  Pickens  and  her  father  going 
home  to  supper.  Mr.  Klatz  came  at  just  half  past  six, 
Luther  Dunlap  five  minutes  later.  It  was  seven  o'clock 
—  it  was  eight  o'clock  —  Mrs.  Gard  gave  herself  up  en- 
tirely now  to  her  great  terror.  She  drank  a  cup  of  tea, 
blew  out  her  light  and  put  on  her  coat  and  hat.     She 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  283 

knew  that  something  terrible  had  happened  to  Colinette, 
and  she  knew  as  never  before  what  a  blank  life  would 
be  to  her  without  John's  girl. 

For  the  first  time  in  her  experience  she  could  not  pray 
—  she,  who  always  advised  those  with  a  load  of  care  — 
a  burden  of  dread  —  to  take  it  to  Him  who  had  promised 
to  help  bear  pain  and  sorrow.  It  was  the  bitterest  hour 
of  Susan  Gard's  life. 


XXIII 

A  step  on  the  porch  —  Colinette' s  step ;  Mrs.  Gard 
knew  it  by  its  lightness.  It  had  a  furtive  lightness  to- 
night, or  so  it  seemed  to  Susan  Gard.  And  Colinette  did 
not  open  the  door  in  her  usual  manner,  but  hesitatingly, 
like  a  naughty  child  sure  of  its  punishment.  Well,  she 
deserved  punishment,  and  she  should  have  it. 

The  first  glad  rush  of  pleasure  at  the  girl's  return  was 
followed  in  the  grandmother's  mind  by  righteous  indig- 
nation. What  an  afternoon  and  evening  of  misery  she 
had  put  in  while  Colinette  followed  out  some  serene  plan 
of  her  own.  Yes,  in  a  measure,  Luther  Dunlap  and 
Waldo  Pickens  and  his  wife  were  right,  Colinette  was 
too  sure  of  herself  —  too  sure  of  instant  and  absolute 
forgiveness. 

She  was  pale  —  strangely  so ;  the  natural  droop  of  the 
eyelids  was  accentuated  until  the  eyes  beneath  seemed 
black. 

"  For  mercy  sake,  where  have  you  been  ?  "  demanded 
her  grandmother.  She  wished  to  give  the  scolding  at 
once  and  have  it  over  with,  and  then  they  could  eat  their 
supper  in  peace. 

"  Out  to  the  Bedell  place  on  the  Chester  road,"  an- 
swered Colinette,  still  standing,  and  making  no  move  to 
take  off  her  coat  and  hat. 

284 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  285 

Mrs.  Gard  could  not  believe  that  she  had  heard  aright. 

"  Out  to  the  Bedell  place?  "  she  repeated.  "  Are  you 
crazy  ?  " 

"  No,  I'm  sane  enough ;  more  so,  I  guess,  than  ever  be- 
fore in  my  life." 

"  Well,  a  pretty  fuss  you've  kept  me  in  all  the  after- 
noon and  evening,  not  knowin'  what  had  become  of  you, 
sendin'  Elmer  all  over  town,  a  runnin'  hither  an'  yon 
lookin'  for  you — " 

"  I  am  sorry.  Please  come  and  sit  down  in  the  rock- 
ing-chair and  I  will  tell  you  —  everything." 

"  Go  take  off  your  things  and  set  down  yourself.  If 
you've  walked  clear  out  to  Bedell's,  you  must  be  just 
beat." 

"  No,  I'll  keep  them  on ;  I  may  have  to  go  back  —  Oh, 
I  do  hope  you  will  send  me  back  tonight !  " 

"Tonight?" 

"  Yes.  If  you  buy  out  Mrs.  Chedder  you  will  have 
to  do  it  before  the  twelve  o'clock  express  goes  through 
Chester.  She's  going  to  take  that  train  to  Milltown,  and 
in  Milltown  there  is  another  woman  who  will  take  over 
the  business.  Mrs.  Chedder  is  going  East  to  be  doc- 
tored." 

Mrs.  Gard  shut  her  lips  together  firmly.  For  the  first 
time  she  was  really  angry  at  Colinette. 

"  You  can  take  off  your  hat  as  soon  as  you  like,  be- 
cause I  ain't  goin'  to  buy  out  a  milliner  store  to  please 
you  nor  anybody  else !  " 

"  It  will  make  the  difference  to  Susan  between  slavery 
and  independence;  between  misery  and  happiness." 

"  I  know  my  own  business!     If  I  had  two  thousand 


286  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

dollars  instead  of  one,  you  might  talk;  I  ain't  got,  and 
that  settles  it." 

"  In  other  words,  if  you  didn't  have  to  provide  for  me, 
you  could  provide  for  Susan?  " 

"  You  can  put  it  that  way  if  you  like  it  better  that  way. 
I  can't  provide  for  both  of  you,  an'  I  consider  that  my 
obligation  is  greater  to  John's  child  than  to  Susan's,  be- 
cause Susan  is  alive  an'  able,  or  ought  to  be,  to  look 
after  her  own  child.  But  John  is  dead  an'  gone,  an'  it's 
my  first  duty  to  look  after  his  girl  in  the  way  I  think 
best.  The  Brackleys  wanted  to  send  you,  but  no,  we 
was  too  proud  to  take  charity  from  the  Brackleys.  I  said 
I  had  enough  to  send  you,  and  I  have,  an'  I'm  a  goin'  to 
send  you.  Now  let's  not  hear  any  more  about  this  busi- 
ness. I'd  feel  pretty  cheap  to  have  to  tell  Dick  Brackley 
that,  after  all,  we'd  fell  down,  and  you  was  to  go  to  work 
in  the  Chedder  milliner  store." 

Colinette  raised  two  clenched  hands  against  her  lips 
and  gasped,  "  I'll  have  to  tell  you  after  all !  I  shall  have 
to  tell  you!  Oh,  I  did  not  want  to,  but  I  must!  It's 
your  doing;  yours  and  —  God's.  You  always  say,  '  pray 
about  your  troubles,'  and  I  have ;  I've  prayed,  and  this  is 
what  has  come  of  it!  And  I  love  you  so !  Why,  I  never 
loved  anybody  until  I  came  here  and  loved  you.  But  I 
love  Susan  too;  too  well  to  take  what  belongs  to  her. 
If  only  you  had  consented  to  buy  the  store  for  Susan, 
and  let  me  stay  and  help  her  get  started  —  but  —  well  — 
I  shall  have  to  tell  you !  I  am  not  John's  girl  —  I  am  not 
your  grand-daughter ;  I'm  an  imposter !  I'm  a  sneak  and 
a  liar!" 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  287 

"Are  you  crazy?"  cried  out  Mrs.  Gard  again,  white 
to  the  lips  herself  now. 

"  No,  I'm  sane  enough,  and  honest  for  the  first  time. 
I've  adopted  your  motto  for  the  first.  Before  this  I've 
always  gone  by  my  own.  John's  girl  died  a  few  months 
after  they  wrote  you  the  letter  asking  you  to  take  her, 
and  they  didn't  take  the  trouble  themselves  to  let  you 
know." 

Mrs.  Gard  rocked  back  and  forth  crying  out  like  a 
person  in  mortal  agony.  Colinette  went  to  her  to  try 
to  comfort  her,  but  she  thrust  her  away  with  something 
resembling  a  blow. 

"  And  you  —  who  and  what  are  you,  then?" 

"  I'm  just  what  Gertie  Calkins  called  me  when  I  first 
went  to  school  here  in  Redmoon;  I  am  a  waif,  picked 
up  after  a  train  wreck.  No  one  was  able  to  account  for 
me  and  I  was  given  over  to  a  Catholic  orphanage  where 
I  was  taught  to  read,  to  sew,  to  paint.  And  when  I 
was  old  enough  they  sent  me  out  to  easy  places  to  work. 
They  tried  never  to  send  me  anywhere  except  to  respect- 
able places." 

Mrs.  Gard  still  moaned  and  rocked  and  wrung  her 
hands.  Colinette  stood  like  a  little  statue  before  her, 
speaking  in  an  even,  colorless  voice,  a  voice  so  low  that 
an  eavesdropper  outside  the  door  could  not  have  heard 
the  confession. 

"  And  they  sent  you  to  work  for  my  son's  wife;  and 
you  worked  for  her,  you  lived  with  her,  you  came  and 
passed  yourself  off  on  me  as  her  child,  but  —  you  smashed 
her  picture  when  I  had  it  fixed  up  and  framed  pretty 
for  you ! " 


288  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

"  She  was  a  wicked  woman.  She  put  me  up  to  the 
fraud  in  the  first  place.  She  hated  you,  but  she  needed 
money.  She  said  I  was  about  the  age  her  girl  would 
have  been  if  she  had  lived.  She  asked  me  if  I  would 
come  out  to  Redmoon  and  pass  myself  off  for  her  girl, 
and  tell  you  a  sob  story  and  get  money  for  her.  I  said 
I  would." 

"  Oh,  Colinette !  Oh,  Colinette !  "  It  was  the  olden 
cry  of  "Absalom,  my  son,  my  son!"  "And  you  was 
willin'  to  do  such  a  terrible  thing!  " 

"  Yes,  I  was  a  natural  sneak  and  —  a  liar  until  —  1 
knew  you.  The  Sisters  were  good,  and  pious,  but  far 
away.  They  had  so  many  to  care  for.  I  never  knew 
anybody  who  was  good  —  whom  I  could  love,  until  I 
knew  you  and  Susan." 

"  How  do  I  know  you  are  tellin'  the  truth  now,  Coli- 
nette?    How  do  I  know  this  ain't  another  fairy  story?  " 

"  I  need  never  have  told  you  at  all.  I  could  have  used 
the  money  which  belonged  to  Susan,  gone  to  New  York, 
and  let  her  work  for  Aunt  Rinthy  Pickens  —  you  never 
would  have  known.  But  this  chance  for  Susan  to  get 
into  a  business  that  she  would  love  —  if  only  you  had 
consented  —  I  would  have  tried  to  go  next  year ;  or  per- 
haps in  two  years  from  now.  I  didn't  want  to  tell  —  oh, 
I  didn't  want  to  have  to  tell!  I  wanted  your  love,  and 
Susan's ! 

"  Shall  I  go  back  and  tell  Mrs.  Chedder  that  you  will 
buy  her  store  ?  " 

11  Yes." 

"  And  then  —  shall  I  go  away  ?  " 

"  Yes." 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  289 

Without  a  word  Colinette  turned  toward  the  door. 
Mrs.  Gard  called  her  back. 

"  I  want  you  to  tell  me  more  about  my  son's  wife." 

"  Oh,  why  say  anything  more  about  her  ?  She  is  dead 
now." 

"  I  want  you  to  tell  me  what  made  you  hate  her  so." 

"  She  was  a  bad  woman.  I  couldn't  stand  it  to  have 
her  picture  there  in  my  bedroom  always  looking  down  at 
me,  so  I  destroyed  it." 

"  What  was  your  real  name  ?  " 

"  No  one  ever  knew  or  ever  will  know  —  now.  The 
Sisters  called  me  Little  Red  Mary,  because  there  were  so 
many  other  Marys  there  in  the  orphanage." 

"  Why  didn't  you  call  yourself  Susan,  the  name  of  the 
poor  little  thing  you  took  the  place  of  ?  " 

"  I  didn't  know  that  Mrs.  Gard's  child  was  named 
Susan.  She  told  me  your  name,  and  where  you  lived. 
She  said  that  you  were  her  first  husband's  mother  and 
that  you  were  rich  — " 

"  She  was  married  again,  then?  " 

"  Yes,  it  was  he  who  —  shot  her  to  death.  There 
were  a  lot  of  rough  people  there  and  they  had  been  drink- 
ing —  shots  were  fired  —  I  saw  her  lying  on  the  floor. 
It  was  terrible !  I  —  I  can't  bear  even  to  tell  you.  I 
ran  out  and  back  to  the  orphanage,  but  —  I  didn't  go  in. 
I  remembered  your  name,  and  the  name  of  the  town 
where  she  said  you  lived  —  you  see,  I  went  by  my  motto 
then,  altogether;  I  wanted  a  grandmother;  I  wanted  a 
place  to  stay,  a  home  where  I  would  belong.  I  beat  my 
way  on  the  train  and  came.  When  I  found  out  that 
you  didn't  know  your  grandchild's  name  I  took  one  I 


290  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

had  seen  in  a  book  because  I  thought  it  was  pretty — " 

Mrs.  Gard  cried  out  anew. 

"Oh,  go  away!"  she  sobbed.  "Go  away!  I  am  a 
miserable  woman!  I  forgot  my  own  blood  an'  kin  and 
took  in  a  stranger  —  because  she  was  pretty!  Because 
she's  got  shining  hair  and  peachy  skin  an'  quick  legs  an' 
feet!  So  I  forgot  my  own  poor,  skinny,  overworked 
Susan,  and  her  poor,  big,  clumsy  Susan  —  I  forgot  'em 
an'  took  up  with  a  —  a  —  girl  who  lies  an'  steals,  an' 
don't  know  who  she  is  nor  what  she  is!  Don't  know 
her  first  name  nor  her  last  name  —  Oh,  oh!  " 

Her  voice  rose  in  a  hysterical  shriek.  A  loud  knock- 
ing sounded  on  the  door.  Colinette  looked  with  terror  at 
Mrs.  Gard,  who  seemed  to  have  lost  all  control  of  her 
feelings.  She  continued  to  cry  out,  and  the  person  out- 
side continued  to  pound  on  the  door. 

When  Colinette  had  come  in  she  had  not  locked  the 
door  after  her,  and  now  it  was  thrown  open  to  admit 
Waldo  Pickens. 

"  Whatever  is  the  matter  here?  "  he  demanded.  Mrs. 
Gard  continued  to  cry  out,  but  Colinette  answered  that 
Mrs.  Gard  was  very  sick,  and  would  he  please  step  across 
the  road  and  ask  Aunt  Susan  to  come  over. 

"  I've  just  come  from  there,"  said  Pickens,  "  and  they 
didn't  say  anything  about  the  old  woman  bein'  sick  — " 

"  They  didn't  know  it,"  said  Colinette.     "  Please  go." 

"  Go !  Go !  "  shrieked  Mrs.  Gard  in  a  frenzy,  and 
when  he  went  hastily  to  do  their  errand,  she  got  up  from 
her  chair  and  slammed  the  door  shut  behind  him.  She 
stood  braced  against  it  as  if  to  keep  out  the  world,  and 
held  out  her  arms  to  Colinette, 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  291 

"  Worst  of  it  is,  I  can't  repent !  Worst  is,  I  can't  git 
on  without  you !  I  think  more  of  you  than  I  do  my  own 
soul!  Colinette,  come  here  and  promise  not  to  tell  no- 
body —  nobody  in  the  world  —  that  you  ain't  John  Gard's 
girl !     Quick,  I  hear  'em  comin' !  " 

Colinette  flew  into  her  arms. 

"Grandmother!  Grandmother!"  she  sobbed,  and 
clung  to  her  and  kissed  her. 

"  I  couldn't  abide  to  hear  you  callin'  me  Mrs.  Gard !  I 
couldn't  abide  to  hear  it !  You  say  you've  took  on  some- 
thing of  my  motto  since  you  come  here  to  live  with  me; 
well,  I've  took  on  something  of  yours,  I  s'pose.  I  want 
a  grandchild  just  like  you,  an'  I'm  goin'  to  live  an  eternal 
lie  for  the  sake  of  havin'  one.  Colinette,  I  want  you  to 
promise  whatever  happens,  never  to  tell !  " 

When  Susan  Dunlap  and  her  family  came  rushing  in, 
Mrs.  Gard  sat  in  the  red  plush  rocking  chair,  her  head  on 
the  center-table.  Waldo  Pickens  had  hurried  home  to 
announce  the  joyful  news  of  "  Gram'ma  Gard's  sudden 
and  serious  illness."  The  Pickenses  had  always  resented 
Mrs.  Gard's  continued  youthfulness  and  perfect  health. 
When  a  woman  got  to  be  fifty-five,  or  six,  she  ought,  as  a 
normal  person,  to  have  rheumatism,  sleepless  nights  and 
a  sallow  skin.  It  was  ridiculous,  the  way  "  Gram'ma 
Gard  "  forgot  that  she  was  getting  old ! 

By  the  time  he  had  returned  with  Aunt  Rinthy,  flatly 
smiling  at  his  heels,  they  had  put  Mrs.  Gard  to  bed  with 
a  hot  brick  at  her  feet  and  a  cold  compress  on  her  head. 
She  had  refused  to  let  them  send  for  the  doctor.  With 
Colinette's  little  hand  in  hers,  Colinette's  whispered  pro- 
testations of  love  in  her  ears,  the  frenzy  of  grief  and 


292  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

rage  which  had  obsessed  her  was  giving  place  to  lethargic 
peace.  She  had  been  stricken  by  a  terrible  revelation, 
but  it  was  over,  she  knew  the  worst,  she  had  nothing 
further  to  fear,  and  the  world  —  her  world  —  Luther 
Dunlap,  his  boys,  the  Pickens  family  —  would  never  know 
that,  after  all,  John  Gard  had  not  been  the  father,  and 
she  the  grandmother,  of  a  being  altogether  above  the 
Gards  in  beauty  and  talent. 

In  the  midst  of  all  the  confusion  of  hot  bricks  and 
cold  compresses,  Colinette  was  detected  in  bringing  a 
paper  for  her  grandmother's  signature.  It  was  the  eagle 
eye  of  Waldo  Pickens  which  did  the  detecting,  and  it 
was  he  who  motioned  Luther  to  a  secret  conference  on 
the  porch. 

"Did  yeh  git  onto  that?"  he  hissed  dramatically, 
"  Gram'ma  Gard  signed  her  name  to  somethin'  that  Coli- 
nette brought  to  her  there  in  bed.  A  will,  that's  what 
'twas!  Luther,  you  owe  it  to  your  wife  an'  her  girl  to 
probe  this  here  matter  to  the  quick.  I  wouldn't  let  John's 
girl  —  a  mere  child  —  do  me  up  in  this  business.  I'd 
brace  right  up  to  the  old  woman  and  find  out  what's 
afoot!" 

"  I  will  in  the  morning  — "  began  Luther  Dunlap,  but 
Pickens  cut  him  short. 

"  That  old  woman  won't  be  alive  in  the  mornin',  mark 
yeh.  When  a  woman  who  has  always  stumped  around  as 
strong  as  she  has  is  taken  violent  like  this,  she  don't  last 
long.  And  that  there  Colinette  is  deep  enough  to  git 
her  to  sign  papers  at  such  a  time!  " 

"  'Twon't  stand  law,"  declared  Luther  in  sudden  con- 
viction that  his  brother-in-law  was  right  about  the  duplic- 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  293 

ity  of  John's  girl.  "  Don't  worry,  Waldo,  it  won't  stand 
law."  But,  nevertheless,  he  went  in  and  shut  everybody 
else  out  of  his  mother-in-law's  room  while  he  questioned 
her. 

"  Twa'n't  no  will,  Luther,"  she  answered  weakly,  "  I'm 
buyin'  out  the  Chedder  milliner  shop  for  the  girls,  Susan 
and  Colinette.  It  had  to  be  done  tonight  on  account  of 
Mrs.  Chedder's  goin'  away  to  be  doctored,  an'  another 
milliner  standin'  ready  to  jump  into  her  place.  I  was 
just  tellin'  Colinette  what  I  was  aimin'  to  do  when  I  was 
took — "  She  stopped  suddenly.  What  was  she  doing? 
Telling  lies  as  broad  as  those  for  which  she  had  up- 
braided Colinette ;  as  broad  and  much  more  useless.  Sud- 
denly it  was  liorne  in  upon  her  that  circumstances  have  a 
great  deal  to  do  with  virtue.  Under  certain  conditions 
it  was  easy  to  live  a  truthful  life;  under  others,  next  to 
impossible. 

Colinette,  if  she  had  been  aware  of  his  intentions,  would 
not  have  allowed  Luther  Dunlap  in  her  grandmother's 
room  to  harry  that  already  overtried  lady.  But  Colinette 
was  over  at  the  Klatzes  in  close  and  earnest  conversation 
with  Villie,  who,  figuratively  speaking,  stood  booted  and 
spurred  like  a  knight  of  old  to  do  her  bidding,  the  signed 
check  in  his  pocket,  together  with  a  note  asking  for  the 
keys  and  a  request  that  Mrs.  Chedder  send  a  representa- 
tive to  help  with  the  inventory,  which  must  begin  to- 
morrow. It  would  not  do  to  let  the  doors  of  a  millinery 
establishment  stand  closed  long  at  this  time  of  the  year. 

"What  did  she  say?"  demanded  Waldo  Pickens  as 
Luther  came  forth  from  Mrs.  Gard's  room  and  closed  the 
door  behind  him  gently.     There  had  been  a  change  in 


294  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

Luther's  estimation  of  John's  girl  since  his  interview, 
and  he  could  not  help  expressing  something  of  his  opin- 
ion to  his  sister's  husband.  He  twirked  his  neck  know- 
ingly. 

"  Eh,"  persisted  Pickens,  "  was  it  a  will?  " 

"  You'll  probably  know  in  the  morning,"  was  Luther's 
cryptic  answer.  "  That  girl  of  John  Gard's  has  got 
more  pep  than  all  the  rest  of  the  Gards  put  together." 

Waldo  Pickens  was  in  a  maze.  He  had  expected 
Luther  to  come  forth  uttering  denunciations  against 
John's  girl;  instead  he,  of  all  persons,  had  turned  to 
truculent  praise  of  her  smartness. 

During  the  two  days  following  everything  went  wrong 
with  Waldo  Pickens. 

"  That's  how  things  stand,"  his  wife  informed  him, 
with  one  of  her  widest  and  flattest  smiles,  "  she's  up, 
workin'  in  her  garden,  apparently  as  well  as  ever  she  was ; 
a  little  pale,  an'  her  eyes  look  as  if  she'd  cried  a  week,  but 
outside  of  that  there  don't  seem  to  be  a  thing  the  matter 
with  her." 

This  was  a  most  provoking  move  on  Mrs.  Gard's  part. 
She  should  have  lingered  in  illness  a  week  or  so,  and  then 
have  fulfilled  Waldo's  prophecy. 

"  An',  more'n  that,  we  can  tote  up  to  the  German 
settlement  after  a  hired  girl,  or  else  work  Helen  to  death 
so  that  her  fingers  will  rattle  like  sticks  on  the  piano; 
because,  say  what  you  will  an'  do  what  you  may,  Waldo, 
I  can  not  cook  for  hired  hands,  take  care  of  the  cream, 
the  poultry,  and  keep  this  big  house  clean  without  help, 
an'  I  ain't  a-goin'  to  try." 

"  What's  the  matter  with  Susan?  " 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  295 

"  Matter  is,  Susan's  going  to  be  a  milliner,  I  want  you 
to  understand.  Gram'ma  Gard  has  bought  out  the  Ched- 
der  milliner  store  for  her  two  granddaughters,  mind  you, 
Susan  and  John's  girl." 

"  Sufferin'  pancakes!  If  I'd  known  Mrs.  Chedder 
would  have  sold  out  I'd  a  bought  the  business  for  Helen." 

"  It  would  have  been  a  fine  thing  for  Helen."  Mrs. 
Pickens  grinned  broadly.  "  She  could  have  earned  money 
in  a  nice  ladylike  way,  and  meanwhile  kept  her  hands 
in  shape  for  her  music.  But  you're  too  slow,  Waldo, 
and  I'm  too  slow  to  cope  with  John's  girl."  The  mo- 
ment it  slipped  out  of  her  mouth  Mrs.  Pickens  felt  that 
that  was  a  fine  expressive  word  —  that  cope.  She  used 
it  repeatedly  to  drive  home  her  convictions,  smiling  mean- 
while as  at  some  pleasant  news  which  she  was  conveying 
to  her  husband. 

"  Lizzie  Smith  can't  cope  with  John's  girl.  She  fully 
expected  —  she  and  her  mother  —  to  buy  out  the  Chedder 
store.  I  met  her  on  the  street  today  and  she  told  me 
all  about  it.  I  will  say  she  is  bitter.  Says  she,  '  It's 
hard  to  cope  with  a  person  who  works  in  the  dark  like  a 
—  bat ! '  Says  she,  '  Mama  an'  me  was  see-sawing  to 
get  Mrs.  Chedder  down  to  a  reasonable  figure  when  what 
do  we  hear  but  that  Mrs.  Gard  has  bought  the  plant  for 
Susan  Dunlap  and  Colinette  Gard.'  Says  I,  '  Lizzie, 
your  mother  bein'  in  the  position  she  is,  dressmaker  to 
the  best  ladies  in  town,'  says  I,  '  can  make  it  pretty  hard 
ploughin'  for  a  couple  of  greenhorns  like  Susan  Dunlap 
and  John  Gard's  girl.'  Says  she,  '  We  could  do  for 
Susan  Dunlap  easy  enough;  she  ain't  got  any  style  and 
never  will  have,  but,'  says  Lizzie,  '  it'll  be  hard  to  cope 


296  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

with  Colinette  Gard.'  Says  I,  '  She's  too  young  to  run 
any  business  successfully.'  Lizzie  said  '  Um-m-m-m,'  in 
that  way  of  hers,  and  shook  her  head.  '  She  will  be  hard 
to  cope  with,'  says  she,  and  she  is  right.  Helen  says  so, 
too.  Gram'ma  Gard  can't  cope  with  her.  Gram'ma  Gard 
set  her  mind  on  her  goin'  to  New  York  to  learn  to  paint. 
She  told  the  Dunlaps  that  same  day  that  she  was  taken 
sick  that  she  was  bound  that  Colinette  should  go  to  New 
York,  but  that  Colinette  had  changed  her  mind  and  was 
bound  she  wouldn't  go  to  New  York.  '  But,'  says 
Gram'ma  Gard,  '  you  watch  an'  see  who  comes  out  ahead 
this  time.'  Says  she  to  the  Dunlaps,  '  You  watch  who's 
boss  in  our  house  when  I  really  set  my  foot  down.'  And 
the  very  next  day  it's  all  over  town  that  she's  bought 
out  Mrs.  Chedder  and  the  two  girls  is  goin'  to  run  the 
business.  You  see  Gram'ma  Gard  couldn't  cope  with 
John's  girl  when  John's  girl  set  her  head." 


XXIV 

For  a  time  "Lizzie  Smith  and  her  mother  harbored  seri- 
ous intentions  of  opening  a  rival  millinery  establishment 
and  making  a  stern  effort  to  "  cope  "  with  Colinette  Gard. 
But  the  Chedder  location  being  the  only  feasible  one  in 
Redmoon,  and  the  undeniable  success  of  the  two  girls 
during  their  first  season,  caused  the  Smiths  to  pause  and 
consider  the  coping  probabilities  very  seriously  and,  at 
last  to  give  up  the  plan  entirely. 

In  the  spring  Mrs.  Brackley  came  floating  home,  serene, 
beautiful,  a  year  older  in  body,  but  not  conscious  of  it, 
and  not  a  moment  older  in  mind.  In  mind  Mrs.  Brack- 
ley  would  always  be  a  child.  She  it  was  who  set  the 
permanent  seal  of  success  on  the  new  millinery  establish- 
ment. She  announced  that  nowhere  had  she  been  fitted 
with  toques  so  comfy  and  yet  so  ravishingly  becoming. 
She  said  —  and  truly  —  that  Colinette  Gard  had  the  eye 
and  the  soul  of  an  artist  to  design  pretty  things,  while 
Susan  Dunlap  possessed  the  requisite  skill  with  the  needle 
to  carry  out  Colinette's  designs.  She  gave  the  firm  an 
open  order  for  four  hats,  and  when  they  were  done  cried 
out  in  delight  at  their  beauty,  especially  the  one  of  gray 
gauze  with  overgrown  pink  roses  enmeshed  in  its  cloudy 
folds.  She  brought  Mrs.  Smith  to  Colinette  for  instruc- 
tions in  regard  to  colors  and  materials  for  dresses  to  be 
worn  with  the  hats. 

297 


298  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

Colinette  made  sketches  of  the  gowns  and  colored  them 
with  swiftness  and  dash.  This  so  impressed  Mrs.  Smith 
that  she  ceased  at  once  the  campaign  of  disparagement 
which  she  and  Lizzie  had  been  carrying  on  in  secret 
against  the  new  firm. 

After  Mrs.  Gard  had  accepted  the  fact  that  no  Gard 
had  ever  yet  been  born  who  was  in  any  way  out  of  the 
common,  she  found  much,  if  not  quite  all,  her  oldtime 
satisfaction  in  living,  her  old  comfort  in  prayer. 

This  came  about  after  a  long,  heart  to  heart  talk  with 
Colinette  in  which  they  went  over  all  the  details  of  the 
strange  series  of  coincidences  which  had  brought  them 
together.  It  comforted  her  to  think,  as  Colinette  did, 
that  it  was  no  sin  to  keep  the  secret  so  long  as  it  was 
not  allowed  in  any  way  to  interfere  with  the  welfare  of 
the  two  Susans. 

"  You  are  all  I  have  in  the  world,  grandmother,"  Coli- 
nette had  said,  "  but  I  am  not  all  that  you  have  in  the 
world;  we  must  not  forget  that.  And  Mrs.  Gard  ac- 
quiesced, but  remembered  with  a  shudder  that  black  hour 
when  she  had  flung  Colinette  from  her  in  anger  and 
chagrin  at  her  disclosure  —  that  hour  when  the  two 
Susans  were  all  that  she  had  in  the  world. 

Mrs.  Brackley  thought  that  perhaps,  after  all,  Colinette 
had  done  the  wise  thing  in  going  into  a  settled  and  satis- 
factory business  in  her  own  home  town,  rather  than  tak- 
ing all  the  chances  of  failure  in  an  exacting  profession. 
She  herself  had  always  longed  to  be  a  milliner;  to  twine 
roses  and  soft  gauzes  and  brilliant  fabrics  all  day  long 
must  be  an  ideal  way  to  earn  one's  livelihood. 

"  Twining  roses  is  a  small  part  of  the  millinery  busi- 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  299 

ness,"  said  Colinette  ruefully.  "  One  must  twine  the  af- 
fections of  a  difficult  customer  around  a  hat  which  is 
suitable  and  at  the  same  time  comes  within  her  means. 
Or  twining  your  temper  into  a  hard  ball,  swallowing  it 
and  keeping  it  down  while  Mrs.  Calkins  and  Gertie  tumble 
your  stock  and  tell  you  meanwhile  how  much  cheaper 
they  can  get  things  in  Milltown." 

But  Mrs.  Brackley  owned  to  Mrs.  Gard  that  Richard 
and  Neal  both  considered  it  a  great  pity  that  Colinette 
was  not  to  have  her  chance. 

"  I  guess  Colinette  has  forgotten  all  about  paintin'," 
Mrs.  Gard  answered.  "  She  never  goes  near  her  paint 
shop  any  more." 

Jeff  Plummer  now  divided  his  time  between  working 
in  his  father's  office,  playing  ball,  and  hanging  about  the 
Chedder  milliner  shop  doors  evenings  waiting  for  a  chance 
to  walk  home  with  the  proprietors.  He  was  fond  of  at- 
taching Villie  Klatz  to  the  party,  for  he  had  discovered 
by  experience  that  Colinette  always  chose  to  walk  with 
him  when  Villie  was  along.  At  first  he  was  flattered  by 
this  arrangement,  not  knowing  that  she  did  this  that 
Villie  might  walk  beside  the  girl  whom  he  adored. 

Jeff  Plummer  was  the  rock  upon  which  the  accord  of 
the  two  young  milliners  was  pretty  apt  to  split.  Susan 
was  glad  to  have  him  walk  home  with  them  evenings; 
Colinette  preferred  to  walk  without  him. 

"  He's  such  a  bore,"  she  complained  to  Susan. 

"  Why  is  he  a  bore  ?  "  Susan  would  retort. 

"  I  am  so  tired  of  Home-run  Baker.  And  I  can't  bear 
to  look  at  the  moon  any  more ;  it  reminds  me  so  much  of 
a  6ase  ball.     I'm  tired  of  hearing  how  Jim  Murray  put 


300  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

one  in  the  pocket,  and  how  Jeff  himself  always  gets  one 
over  the  pan." 

"  What  would  you  like  him  to  talk  about  ?  " 

"  Oh  —  millinery,  I  suppose,"  said  Colinette,  with  a 
sigh. 

"  Yes,  you  would !  I  believe  you  would  as  soon  hear 
about  base  ball  as  millinery." 

"  Anything  gets  monotonous  at  times,"  Colinette  ad- 
mitted. "  Buckles  and  ribbons  and  straw  sailors  and 
head-sizes  and  thirty^five-cents-a-bunch  cotton  violets  that 
smell  of  glue  —  all  are  trying,  but  bearable  because  they 
lead  up  to  a  hundred  more  in  the  bank  every  now  and 
then.  But,  honestly,  I  feel  the  need  of  relaxation  on 
my  way  home  after  work  hours.  I  don't  care  to  take  a 
night  course  in  our  national  game." 

u  Villie  Klatz  plays  base  ball  almost  as  often  as  Jeff 
Plummer  does." 

"  I  know,  Susan,  Villie  talks  of  base  ball,  too,  but  not 
exclusively.  He  told  me  of  seeing  a  pond  covered  with 
water-lilies  the  day  they  went  to  Cambria  to  play  the 
Blue  Socks.  He  said  as  they  drove  by  on  the  road  the 
smell  of  the  lilies  came  up  like  a  mist.  He  described  a 
hill  sown  with  oats  over  behind  Murdock's  place.  He 
said  it  looked  like  the  green  plush  we  had  in  our  window 
for  awhile  last  fall,  and  it  made  him  think  of  —  us. 
Villie  says  whenever  he  sees  a  golden  willow  with  its 
little  green  buds  along  the  stems  he  thinks  of  me;  and 
whenever  he  sees  red  flowers  —  roses  or  poppies  or  wild 
red  lilies  —  he  thinks  of  you." 

"  Piffle!"  said  Susan. 

"  Piffle   or   not,   there's   something  high   and  fine   in 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  301 

Villie  Klatz,  while  Jeff  Plummer's  head  is  made  of  rub- 
ber, twine,  and  leather  and  stitched  up  solid." 

"  I  guess  he  wouldn't  be  so  much  in  love  with  you  if 
he  knew  you  felt  that  way  about  his  head." 

"  He  knows ;  I've  told  him,"  said  Colinette,  and 
sighed.  "  I've  told  him  time  and  time  again,  but  he 
doesn't  seem  to  mind.  He  loves  to  talk  about  his  dia- 
mond triumphs,  and  I  am  small  and  feeble  and  can't  get 
away,  and  so  he  keeps  right  on  talking  to  me." 

"  I  guess  you  could  get  away  even  from  Jeff  Plummer 
if  you  took  to  your  heels.  I  guess  you  don't  feel  so  bad 
about  it  as  you  make  out." 

Not  long  after  this  Susan's  suggestion  came  vividly  to 
Colinette's  mind.  It  was  on  a  Friday  night  in  August. 
Susan  forgot  to  gather  up  the  change  from  the  money 
drawer  to  bring  home  as  was  their  custom. 

"  I'll  go  back  after  it,"  volunteered  Colinette,  and  she 
did. 

She  did  not  even  turn  on  the  light,  but  swept  the  silver 
into  her  handbag.  When  she  was  mounting  the  railroad 
embankment  on  her  way  home  she  caught  sight  of  the 
moon  down  at  the  end  of  Brown  Street;  a  great  harvest 
moon,  soft  and  full  of  yellow.  She  stood  on  the  track 
to  watch  it  come  up.  The  moon  always  affected  her 
strangely,  gave  her  wild  romantic  tremors;  brought  out 
some  strain  of  the  gipsy,  the  inheritance  of  some  far- 
back  ancestor  who  had,  perhaps,  trod  wild  English  moors. 
She  liked  to  dream  that  it  was  so. 

She  visualized  a  sketch:  That  moon,  as  she  saw  it 
now,  rising  at  the  edge  of  a  rolling  plain  (cadmium, 
flake-white,  running  into  ultra-marine  along  the  horizon), 


dftfc 


302  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

luminous  grays,  grays  that  were  not  dauby  and  soggy,  but 
grays  that  one  could  walk  through  —  oh,  she  knew  them 
even  if  she  could  not  get  them  —  in  the  middle  distance; 
the  round  tops  of  a  gipsy  caravan  at  rest  and  seen  but 
dimly ;  one  hardly-outlined  figure  stooping  near  a  fire,  the 
fire  to  repeat  the  yellow  of  the  moon  with  the  added  red 
of  flame,  (vermillion,  light-red,  madder  lake)  the  smoke 
of  the  fire  would  mount  thinly  upwards  —  more  adorable 
grays,  luminous,  etherial,  untroubled  by  a  breath  of  air 
—  this  would  speak  of  the  reaching  silence  brooding  over 
the  plain.  In  the  left  foreground  should  stand  the  figure 
of  a  young  gipsy  man,  lithe  but  powerful  with  a  sullen 
face,  the  face  alone  to  be  illuminated. 

Now  how  —  with  the  moon  behind  him  —  Oh,  of 
course  —  match  to  light  cigarette.  Face  cruel,  brooding, 
with  bluish  shadows  about  the  cheeks;  slitted  black  eyes, 
straight  compressed  lips  — 

Oh,  what  was  the  use  of  dreaming;  she  was  never  to 
paint  again. 

Someone  was  coming.  The  sound  of  his  quick  step- 
ping grew  near.  Jeff  Plummer,  of  course.  But  she  was 
not  supposed  to  know;  and  it  might  really  be  a  robber 
who  had  heard  the  tinkle  of  the  silver  as  she  had  gathered 
it  up  out  of  the  money  drawer  and  had  followed  her. 
Colinette  ran  as  fast  as  her  agile  little  feet  could  carry 
her. 

The  man  ran  also,  whistling  to  her  and  later  calling 
her  name.  The  voice  was  not  the  voice  of  Jeff  Plummer. 
She  paused  and  allowed  her  pursuer  to  come  up  with  her. 
He  was  laughing  and  panting. 

"  Same  old  stunt,"  he  gasped,  "  All  day  the  princess 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  303 

ran  away,  all  day  the  prince  ran  after.  Is  this  the  way 
to  treat  a  good  Brother  of  the  Night  after  long  absence?  " 

She  could  hardly  believe  that  Neal  Brackley  stood  be- 
fore her,  clasping  her  hands  and  laughing  down  at  her. 
He  was  taller,  he  was  broader  —  why,  in  the  moonlight 
this  way,  he  seemed  the  veriest  stranger. 

He  tucked  her  hand  under  his  arm  and  faced  about  — 
they  were  in  front  of  her  grandmother's  house. 

"  Come  walk  a  little  way  with  me.  Face  the  moon 
awhile.  It's  a  winner,  isn't  it?  One  doesn't  often  get  a 
chance  to  see  it  like  this.  It  mostly  clouds  up  when  the 
moon  is  due  for  a  display  of  this  sort." 

"  But  Susan  sent  me  for  the  money  that  she  forgot  and 
left  in  the  drawer.     She'll  worry  about  me." 

"  Tell  Susan  you  had  trouble  in  finding  the  money." 

"  But  I  don't  tell  whoppers  any  more ;  I'm  trying  to  live 
altogether  by  grandmother's  motto." 

"  Do  I  understand  that  after  passing  on  your  motto  to 
me  and  the  rest  of  The  Bats  you've  gone  back  on  it  your- 
self?" 

Colinette  laughed  softly. 

"  I  think  I  have,  Neal." 

"  That's  what  has  brought  me  back  to  Redmoon." 
With  her  hand  held  closely  under  his  arm  he  was  towing 
her  steadily  down  the  hill  facing  the  moon.  "  I've  come 
West  purposely  to  have  this  talk  with  you.  I  was  on  my 
way  to  your  house,  expecting  to  be  obliged  to  lay  my  plan 
before  the  whole  tribe,  Rinthy  Pickens  included,  when 
I  saw  you  standing  like  a  statue  on  the  railroad  gazing 
at  the  moon.  I  never  was  more  agreeably  surprised  in 
my   life.     What   were   you  thinking   about  —  standing 


304  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

there  in  imminent  danger  from  wild  trains,  gazing  up- 
ward and  outward,  like  that?  Were  you,  by  any  chance, 
thinking  of  —  an  old  comrade?  " 

"  I  was." 

"  Bless  your  little  heart !  " 

"  I  was  thinking  of  Villie  Klatz." 

"  Um-m-m-m,  are  you  so  much  in  love  with 
Villie?' 

"  I  have  always  liked  Villie  —  you  know  that.  I  have 
always  flown  to  Villie  in  the  hour  of  trouble  and  never 
yet  has  he  failed  me.  If  it  had  not  been  for  Villie's 
strength  and  faithfulness  and  general  Johnny-on-the-spot- 
ness,  we  girls  would  not  be  in  the  millinery  business  this 
moment.  He  raced  out  to  the  Bedell  place  where  Mrs. 
Chedder  was  waiting  for  the  midnight  train  to  take  her 
to  the  city  and  to  another  buyer." 

"  I  have  that  then  to  lay  up  against  Villie." 

"Why?" 

"  You  ought  never  to  be  in  the  millinery  business  in 
Redmoon." 

"  Your  mother  thinks  that  it  is  much  better  than  taking 
chances  in  a  profession  I  might  never,  after  all,  make 
good  in." 

He  ignored  his  mother's  opinion  entirely. 

"  How  is  your  grandmother?  " 

"  Very  well  indeed,  thank  you." 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  that,  on  her  account  and  on  ours 
—  yours  and  mine  —  because  the  success  of  the  plan  which 
I  have  come  to  Redmoon  to  talk  about  depends  almost 
entirely  on  your  grandmother !  " 

Then,  still  holding  her  a  prisoner,  and  still  towing  her 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  305 

eastward  facing  the  moon,  he  unfolded  his  plan,  or  rather, 
his  father's  plan. 

The  next  day  the  plan  was  divulged  to  Mrs.  Gard,  who 
said  it  was  entirely  out  of  the  question.  That  was  on 
Saturday.  They  deemed  it  policy  to  skip  Sunday,  but 
Monday  the  siege  was  renewed.  Mrs.  Gard  stood  solidly 
like  an  indignant  stone  monument. 

Tuesday  night  she  asked  Colinette  solemnly,  "  What 
do  you  s'pose  folks  would  say  to  your  old  grandma's 
goin'  on  the  stage  ?     What  would  the  minister  say  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,  grandmother." 

"  But  you  like  the  millinery  business,  don't  you  ?  " 

"I  hate  it!" 

Mrs.  Gard  groaned.     She  sat  silent  awhile. 

"  Do  you  honestly  want  me  to  do  this,  Colinette?  " 

"  Mr.  Brackley  thinks  we  can  earn  enough  in  one  season 
to  pay  my  way  until  I  am  able  to  make  money  at  my 
real  work.  He  thinks  it  won't  take  me  long  to  get  to 
the  money-making  stage  because  I  am  so  apt." 

Mrs.  Gard  groaned  again  and  went  away  into  her  bed- 
room and  shut  the  door. 

Wednesday  morning  she  capitulated,  and  Colinette 
cried  on  her  neck. 

"  I  wouldn't  say  it  before,  dear,  but  it  will  make  the 
same  difference  to  me  that  going  into  the  millinery  busi- 
ness made  to  Susan.  It  will  mean  freedom  in  place  of 
slavery." 

From  that  moment  Mrs.  Gard  was  convinced  that  her 
decision  was  the  right  one.  She  talked  to  the  minister 
very  frankly  about  the  matter,  and  to  her  surprise,  he  did 
not  object  to  the  arrangement.     The  only  persons  who 


306  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

did  object  and  give  voice  to  their  objections  on  every 
possible  occasion  were  Waldo  and  Rinthy  Pickens  and 
Luther  Dunlap. 

"Heard  the  news?"  Waldo  Pickens  would  begin, 
whenever  or  wherever  he  could  pin  a  listener,  "  Gram'ma 
Gard  is  goin'  on  the  stage!  Yes,  sir!  goin'  into  voode- 
ville.  Dick  Brackley  has  got  her  an'  John  Gard's  girl  a 
job  playin'  that  little  theatre  that  they  got  up.  Goin' 
to  travel  all  over  the  United  States.  John's  girl  goin' 
to  tell  the  story,  same  as  she  done  here,  old  woman  goin' 
to  move  the  figgers  round  behind  the  curtain.  Dick 
Brackley's  boy  is  goin'  along  to  play  the  piano  and  to 
take  care  of  'em  generally.  I  tell  you  what,  old  Susan 
Gard  hitched  her  wagon  to  a  kite  when  she  took  John's 
girl  to  raise!  First  she  would  be  a  milliner  an'  her 
gran'mother  said  she  shouldn't,  but  she  did  just  the  same, 
then  hurrah,  up  an'  a  comin',  she's  got  to  go  on  the  stage 
an'  drag  her  gran'mother  along,  an'  she  does.  Why,  if 
anybody  had  told  me  such  a  thing  would  happen  I  should 
a-thought  they  was  crazy. 

"  It  seems  she  had  hired  Gusta  Klatz  to  help  in  the 
milliner  business  while  she's  away.  The  Klatzes  are 
tickled  almost  to  death  over  it,  so  I  hear."  And  then,  if 
he  could  hold  his  hearer  a  moment  longer,  Pickens  would 
lower  his  voice  to  a  mysterious  whisper  and  add,  "  Say, 
do  you  know  what  they're  booked  to  git  every  night  they 
pufform?  Fifty  dollars  a  night,  by  jocks!  Three  hun- 
dred a  week!  What  do  you  think  of  that!  Thousand 
dollars  a  month !  Four  thousand  dollars  a  season !  " 
Waldo  would  wait  for  these  figures  to  have  their  due 
effect  and  then  add  with  glee,  "  An'  after  they  git  it, 


COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON  307 

John's  girl  is  goin'  down  to  Noo  York  to  blow  it  all  in 
learnin'  how  to  do  oil  paintin'.  Something  that  nobody 
cares  a  whoop  about  any  more.  Why,  it  went  out  of 
date  years  ago.  I  remember  when  my  wife  was  crazy 
over  paintin'  butterbowls  an'  things.  She  got  sick  of 
it  when  they  went  out  of  date.  They's  one  of  'em  out 
in  the  barn  now.  I  use  it  to  dip  scratch  with  for  the 
hens.  Got  a  snow  scene  in  the  bottom  of  it,  or  used  to 
have  before  the  scratch  wore  it  off." 

Neal  and  his  mother  went  the  following  week,  leaving 
Mrs.  Gard  and  Colinette  to  their  final  preparations. 
There  was  a  wild  period  of  dressmaking  for  the  troupe 
from  Mrs.  Gard  down  to  Kitty  Candle  herself;  of  re- 
painting backdrops,  side  scenes,  wings  and  flies  for  the 
little  theatre  on  more  substantial  material  than  rotten 
window  blinds.  Villie  Klatz  made  a  firmer,  lighter, 
more  condensible  frame  for  the  show,  and  he  and  Coli- 
nette together  designed  and  executed  some  new  stage  fur- 
niture. 

On  the  day  of  departure  all  Redmoon  went  down  to 
the  station  to  see  Mrs.  Gard  and  Colinette  start  out  "  to 
go  on  the  stage."  The  most  important  person  on  the 
platform  was  Luther  Dunlap.  He  it  was  who  carried 
"  Mother  Gard's  "  traveling  bag  and  lifted  her  tenderly 
up  the  steps  as  if  she  were  a  semi-invalid  instead  of  the 
hearty,  happy-looking,  well-dressed  lady  that  she  really 
was.  Several  times  during  the  wait  for  the  train  he  had 
mentioned  "  My  daughter's  milliner  store."  His  wife, 
Susan,  and  Gusta  Klatz  sobbed  in  their  handkerchiefs  and 
made  no  secret  of  their  heavy  grief  in  parting  with  their 
friends. 


308  COLINETTE  OF  REDMOON 

And  thus  Colinette,  who  had  drifted  into  Redmoon 
nameless,  friendless,  homeless,  left  the  place  once  more 
to  follow  her  destiny  in  new  fields;  left  amid  the  fare- 
wells of  friends,  both  false  and  true,  taking  with  her  one 
of  the  two  she  loved  best  on  earth,  leaving  the  other  on 
the  little  Redmoon  station  platform,  waving  and  sobbing 
openly  —  and  noisily  —  as  was  the  way  of  the  Gards. 

As  the  train  swept  across  Brown  Street  on  its  way  out 
of  the  village  Colinette  wafted  a  silent  yet  tender 
good-by  to  the  little  gray  house  on  the  hill,  the  old  Pet- 
tingill  House  —  Brown  Street  itself,  which  had  known 
her  happy  feet  for  four  long  years.  Mrs.  Gard  would 
come  back  to  it.  It  would  be  her  place  again  as  of  old,  but 
would  it  ever  be  her  own  ? 

A  sob  rose  in  her  throat,  but  she  suppressed  it  quickly 
and  turned  to  Mrs.  Gard  with  a  little  joke  about  Kitty 
Candle  and  her  company,  all  stowed  so  safely  in  the  bag- 
gage car  ahead. 


THE  END 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


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